Unhinged
by AmericusyoungXoXo
Summary: "Ari, I need you to relax, okay?" "Relax? Are you kidding? You've lost your mind!" Leah groaned and rubbed a hand down her face, her hand reaching out towards her cousin. "Don't touch me! Stay away from me, all of you." Her eyes traveled around the room, glowering at everyone as she did so. She fled the place that had once been a solace, and she found herself unhinged.
1. Prologue

Aria Clearwater had an impeccable memory; every last detail of every event- significant or insignificant- stuck in her brain with an indestructible adhesive. She remembered dates, outfits, smells, colors, and everything of the sort. Even from a young age, she was able to remember each miniscule attribute to a moment or person.

Growing up, she had inadvertently held onto some memories tighter than others. To her delight, one of her very favorite memories was still vivid in her head, and it had taken place in one of her very favorite childhood locations: The Black residence.

Aria's childhood was filled with bright colors.

She saw through rose-colored glasses, and looked for the good in every situation- even as a child. Growing up on the Quileute Reservation in the town of La Push, in Aria's eyes, was quite possibly the greatest life she could've been given. She loved her heritage, loved her family, and loved those that she shared her childhood experiences with.

It wasn't until the legends became a reality, her family began to fall apart, and she began to question those whom she grew up with that her rose-colored glasses began to grow dull. The bright colors of her childhood seemed to be washed away with the endless rain that the state of Washington brought.

 **XXX**

 _"_ _Tag, you're it!"_

 _A six-year-old Quil Ateara yelled, his small hand reaching out and slapping the shoulder-blade of Jacob Black. He had wanted to catch Embry, but the lanky boy had gotten away. Jacob yelled out with laughter, shoving Quil once before sprinting away in search of his victim._

 _His eyes landed on Aria, and she prematurely squealed, already knowing her fate. She had managed only one step in the opposite direction before Jacob's body came crashing into hers, and the two hit the ground in a heap of giggles. They rolled in the grass for a moment, Aria's eyes squeezed shut in both delight and disappointment for being tagged._

 _"_ _Jacob, you be careful, young man! She's little." Sarah, his mother, hollered out from the back porch. Ten-year-old Leah Clearwater, Rachel Black, and Rebecca Black all stood surrounding her. The three girls had found themselves permanent homes within Sarah's shadow._

 _Jacob groaned, but he laughed, nonetheless, as he stood up, offering Aria a dirty hand for assistance. She had smiled, a bright and toothless smile, and taken his peace offering._

 _"_ _Hey, kiddos, why don't you come inside and clean up? You all have a new friend here to play, and I doubt she'll want to roll around in the dirt like a pack of wild animals." Billy called out, coming to stand behind his wife. She rolled her eyes at him briefly before they softened, and she turned to plant a chaste kiss on his cheek._

 _The four children groaned with aggravation, though they obeyed anyway; they knew they had to treat Billy with the utmost respect. One after the other, they all trudged into the house and marched straight to the bathroom sink in order to wash their grimy hands._

 _Jacob, Embry, and Quil all fulfilled this task with ease; they were boys who loved to play outdoors, and they were no strangers to having to wash their hands at least five times a day. Aria, however, did not typically play in the dirt. She was what her older brother, Arto, referred to as a "girly-girl." And so, when it was little Aria's turn to wash her hands, the small child discovered that due to her below-average-size stature, she was unable to reach the sink._

 _She stared at it with hatred for only a moment, though. Quil, having been the last to leave and the first to notice her disposition, flew to her rescue._

 _"_ _Hold on," he mumbled, brushing past her and hurrying towards the small closet beside the sink. He yanked it open with all his might and dragged out a small stepping stool. With a toothy grin, he placed it in front of the sink._

 _Aria mumbled a "thank you" as her mother had always instructed her to do before she began to wash her hands._

 _Quil was always nice to her._

 _Upon her return to the living room, Aria came face-to-face with a very unfamiliar porcelain countenance. She stopped in her tracks and offered a small grin as she looked to Sarah Black for guidance. The boys had long gone, and she immediately missed them. Sarah smiled and approached her, gently kneeling down between the two girls._

 _"_ _Aria, this is Isabella Swan-"_

 _"_ _Bella," the pale girl interjected, quickly covering her mouth in bashfulness._

 _"_ _Bella Swan," Sarah corrected, "she's Chief Swan's daughter. You remember Chief Swan, don't you?"_

 _Aria sucked her lip in for a moment as she looked up to meet Charlie's brown eyes; they were like her daddy's eyes. She nodded slowly and looked back to Sarah, her hand finding a small string on Sarah's apron to toy with as she spoke._

 _Sarah smiled at her and shared the gesture with Bella._

 _"_ _Bella is three years older than you. Can you tell me how old that makes her?"_

 _Aria's eyes traveled to Bella once more as she analyzed her. She was pale and had brown eyes like Chief Swan and her daddy. Her hair was in a braid, but not like the kind that her Aunt Sue always did in her hair; it was different._

 _"_ _She's nine. I'm six."_

 _Sarah smiled at Aria and nodded, "Very good. Now, Bella came here to play, but I don't think she'll want to play with the boys like you do; they're a little rough," Aria giggled, and Sarah continued, "so I thought that you could all go into Rachel and Rebecca's room and paint your nails. How does that sound?"_

 _Aria liked to make Sarah happy- she loved Sarah- and so she agreed. Sarah smiled once more, a beautiful smile, and led Bella and Aria through the small house and to the twins' room._

 _Leah, Rachel, and Rebecca were already sprawled out across the floor with a mountain of nail polishes in the center of them all._

 _"_ _Have fun, girls!" Sarah smiled once more as she left them to return to the kitchen._

 _"_ _Ari, what color do you want?" Leah asked, her eyes already scanning through the assortment of colors._

 _Aria shrugged and plopped down beside her, her dark green eyes scanning over it quickly before returning to Bella._

 _"_ _You can come sit next to me," Aria offered, Bella slowly nodding and sitting next to her._

 _Though she hadn't spoken nearly as much as the others, Aria liked Bella._

 **XXX**

It was that day that had started the tradition of Bella coming to La Push on her visits to her dad in order to spend time with Aria. As she grew, though, her visits became less frequent, and the age gap between the two seemed to matter more.

Despite all that had changed since then, the memory still proved to be one of Aria's favorites: Sarah Black was still alive, Billy Black was still walking, and everyone spent ample amounts of time together.

Things had changed, though.

Far too many things, at that, for life to be so simple ever again.

Aria didn't like change, though it was something she could deal with; she could deal with mostly anything.

Or, so, she had thought.

She had thought that her life was average: she lived in the middle of nowhere, she went to a small- and average- school, she was average looking, she had an average family.

It was nice.

She was content.

Little did she know that one day, her very average life would begin to spiral out of control. The legends that she had grown to know as simple fairytale stories would come to life and captivate her entire existence. She would grow unable to recognize those who she was closest to, loss would transpire, and the ground would seem to fall out from beneath her feet.

Aria's life would morph from very average to entirely unhinged.


	2. The Beginning

**I cannot believe how much support I've already gotten for this story! I'm baffled but so so happy. I can't wait to continue this and share with you all! Thank you, again!**

* * *

"Aria, wake up! If you make me late one more time, I'm leaving your ass at home." Her brother yelled.

The brunette mumbled something inaudible under her breath. She twisted slightly, her legs wrapping themselves up within the thin sheets around her. A groan was muffled by her pillow as she brought herself to rise out of bed.

"This is bullshit," she grumbled, swinging her feet onto the carpeted floor. Her eyes had barely peeked open enough to see where she was going.

Aria was not a morning person. She didn't like leaving her bed, she didn't like arguing with her sisters about who got how much time in the bathroom, she didn't like the feeling of impending doom that seemed to surround her as the time for school approached; hell, she didn't even like breakfast foods.

She moved through her morning in a blur and soon found herself seated at the table, her family moving around her at a million miles an hour while she could barely bring together coherent thoughts.

"Aria, sweetie, you need to have some breakfast." Her mother broke her trance, her dark green eyes focusing once more and looking towards the voice.

Aria's mother was a saint; she was in Aria's eyes at least. She raised all four children with enough confidence to spread throughout the entire reservation.

"Mom, don't make eye-contact with it," Arto chuckled, "God knows when she'll pounce."

He looked to his twin, April, for reassurance, and she laughed loudly, pleasing him. The twins, who were two years older than Aria, fed off of one another. Where one lacked, the other supplied. Contrary to tradition, it was the boy- Arto- who was mild-mannered; he was the brain, the thinker, the rational one, and he kept everything together. April, on the other hand, was everything that he was not. She was loud, rambunctious, and most importantly and prominently, bold. If a thought crossed April's mind, she said it. It was because of this attitude that April and her cousin Leah had always been so close. They were firecrackers, one more tempestuous than the other.

The twins were identical, and if it weren't for April's long and luscious chocolate locks in comparison to Arto's short and swoopy hair, one wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two. Their skin was russet, similarly to that of all the other teenagers on the reservation, and a thin peppering of freckles danced across their cheeks. Their eyes were amber- which was different from the other Quileutes.

And then there was little Ava. Ava was the baby of the family; she was only ten. Her hair was black, much like her father's, and twisted and curled like her mother's. Her eyes were brown and too big for the rest of her face- which was covered in freckles to match her siblings- and her imagination equally matched her eyes in size.

Aria had never felt like she matched the rest of her family. The locals said differently, though when she sat amongst them, Aria couldn't help but note all of the differences.

Her mother was born and raised in Oregon, and her "dirty" genes had muddied up her husband's pure Quileute lineage and had originally brought quite the scandal to La Push when the two had first married. She- Naomi- wore her chocolate curls in a short bob, and the ringlets bounced with every motherly movement and notion that she carried out. Her eyes were a deep foresty green and were surrounded by years-worth of lines from countless smiles. Her children had inherited their freckles from her; her face was coated.

Michael Clearwater- brother to Harry- was pure Quileute, through-and-through. His skin was russet, his hair black and short, his eyes the color of coal. His hands were rough and worn from a lifetime of hardwork on the reservation. His smile was just as bright as it was at the age of seventeen, though. It took up his grand, lined face, and that smile was permanently engrained in the minds of almost every member of the tribe.

Then there was Aria.

To the average eye, there was no doubt that Aria was a Clearwater. Her skin was tanned- much like everyone else's- though, hers was undoubtedly a shade lighter; it clearly had kicked back to her mother's side. As had her eyes. They were green. Not forest green like her mother's, not emerald green, nor mint green. They were just green; she had always hated them. Her skin was freckled, her nose small, her lips full, and her eyes- despite their dull color- twinkled with both mischief and kindness.

The Clearwaters were a tight-knit family. They knew their heritage well and relished in it, they spent quality time together, and they understood one another.

This being said, though, Aria had always felt like the black sheep.

She found herself, despite all efforts, unable to entirely relate to the twins. They were in their own world 24/7; they didn't need her to talk to. They didn't need anyone but one another.

And Ava? Ava was off on another planet every moment of the day. She very rarely- if _ever-_ came back down to earth. She whispered quietly to herself throughout the day, and her eyes almost always seemed glossed over; as if to further prove her distance from the others. She took the love of her heritage to an extreme, and she preached up and down how it was all real.

At times like these, Michael would look down fondly at his youngest and smile with an all-knowing glow.

Ava was his baby. She was- unspokenly, but undoubtedly- his favorite.

"Wow, Arto, you're _so_ funny." Aria mocked, rolling her eyes and taking an aggressive bite out of the apple her mother placed in front of her.

"Wow, Aria, you're _so_ clever." He mocked back, crinkling up his face and shoving at her shoulder.

"Don't touch me." Aria mumbled, Arto cackling in laughter and looking to April once again. She returned his gesture.

"Will you two leave each other alone? _Please?_ " Naomi chastised, clicking her tongue and crunching her eyebrows together. They said and silently agreed, each going back to eating.

"Mom, dad, don't forget: I have a volleyball game at 3:30 today!" April shouted. She shuffled upstairs to grab her bookbag and sports bag, tossing Arto's over the railing in the process. He skillfully caught it and shot her a thumbs-up before heading outside to his truck.

"We won't forget, sweetie. We'll be there." Michael kissed April's temple as she descended the stairs once more. Naomi nodded in agreement, and April smiled.

"Have a good day, my babies! We'll see you all after school." Naomi kissed the top of Ava's head and tenderly rubbed Aria's arm as they passed through the doorway and out to the porch.

It creaked under their weight; it had seen better days. Their whole house had, hell, all of La Push had. Everyone's home was worn down with age and use. The children were all close and rowdy through their childhoods; no one's house was "safe," so-to-say.

The four Clearwaters jumbled themselves into Arto's run-down truck, and they all mumbled out their respective curses as they forced their belongings to fit in the small cab.

The twins fell into their continuous chatter, and Aria rested her forehead against the cool glass window. It was early September to be exact, and yet somehow it was already bone-chilling cold out.

Aria hated the cold.

The truck roared into the small school parking lot, and all of the siblings slowly exited, each yelling out respective greetings to their friends.

April and Arto bustled side-by-side to their friends, also-known-as "rez royalty." They were athletic, popular, and perky, and everyone loved them.

Ava hurried off towards the elementary wing and joined a cluster of giggling native girls in flowery skirts. They flashed smiles and tenderly pulled at one another's braids and ponytails.

And then, again, there was Aria.

Aria's friends came towards her whooping and hollering, shoving at one another and approaching Aria with laughter. She couldn't help the smile that broke out across her face as she scanned over them all with affection.

Quil smirked quickly before dropping a shoulder and taking Aria off her feet, swooping the small girl into his arms and over his shoulder. She squealed out in protest, kicking her feet in the air and pounding her fists against his back.

"Quil!" She punched his spine again, "Put me down, you jerk!"

Embry and Jacob wailed with laughter, grabbing their bellies as they followed the two into their small school. Aria's backpack came flopping down atop her head, the small brunette groaning out in anger as her protests continued; the guys' laughter increased.

"Oh shush, Ari, you're making a scene!" Quil laughed, teasingly patting the back of her thigh. She squealed again.

"Mr. Ateara, put Miss Clearwater down right this instant. I will not have this conversation with you _every_ day." Mrs. Oonagh scolded, her glasses resting upon the bridge of her nose disapprovingly.

Quil chuckled and blushed, slowly setting Aria on her feet once more. "Sorry, Mrs. Oonagh, it won't happen again."

"That's a lie," Jacob inserted, punching Quil in the arm. He rubbed the spot scornfully as his blush deepened. Mrs. Oonagh stared at him with distaste for a moment more before 'tsking' and wandering down the hall.

"That shit's getting old, Quil," Aria grumbled, straightening out her shirt, "we aren't twelve anymore."

Quil rolled his eyes at her before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close, "Oh God, Aria, stop being such a drama queen. I'm just having some fun." She shoved him away and mumbled to herself as they carried on down the hall.

Their day carried on as such- as mostly all of their days did. The four of them were as close as close could be, and that's how Aria liked it. She didn't need a girly best friend to gossip with; she had her boys. They made her laugh endlessly, and yet they knew how to tone it down and be the slightest bit sensitive when she needed them to be- well, Jacob and Embry could.

Before she knew it, Aria found herself seated on the rickety, wooden bleachers in the gym, watching as April and the volleyball team warmed up. Embry sat in front of her; he leaned back against her legs and rested his head in her lap. Jacob and Quil sat to either side of her as they waited for the rest of the Clearwaters to join them.

This had been their ritual since April had first started playing volleyball in the ninth grade: the entire Clearwater family would hunker down on those wooden bleachers with Aria's friends as well, and they would cheer on April- rain or shine, win or lose. They were all like family anyway.

Something about this day was different, though.

Just like normal, Arto and Ava entered the gym at the beginning of warmups. Arto's eyes wandered to find April immediately, and Ava's nose was buried deep within a random book, her feet moving robotically behind Arto.

Only this day, Michael and Naomi didn't come calmly walking in minutes behind them, waving to fellow natives and calling out kindhearted _hello's_. This day, they didn't enter at all.

Aria bit her lip and looked to Arto questioningly, Arto raising a dark eyebrow to her in return. Quil, Embry, and Jacob even seemed baffled by this.

The game began, they were still absent.

One match was finished, and they still weren't there.

The second match finished; still no Clearwater parents.

And then the entire game was over, and April was approaching them with wide eyes as her eyes scanned the bleachers in search of them. Her mouth had barely opened before Arto beat her to it, "They aren't here, April. We don't know why." She shut her mouth quickly and her eyebrows scrunched together.

They silently left the building.

Aria bid her farewells to her boys as their small family piled into the pickup truck once more. The ride home was mostly silent; the twins hushed whispers only occasionally breaking the silent barrier.

They were all out of the vehicle before it was even in park as they hit the driveway.

No one was home.

For some minutes, no one knew what to do. They wandered around aimlessly and did meaningless things to try and fill the awkwardness.

It hit seven pm before April snapped back into her normal and controlling self. She began parading around the kitchen and calling out orders to Arto in order to prepare supper. Ava had already isolated herself in her room for the night, and Aria found herself sitting on the living room floor in silence.

Her mind was filled with questions and confusion, swirling, twirling, twisting smokey questions as to where her parents could be. Were they okay? Surely, the children would've been notified had anything _very_ bad happened to them. Right? She knew it wasn't something _that_ bad, though.

A pan clattered from the kitchen, and she jumped, being pulled from her thoughts and back to earth. April scolded Arto quietly.

Aria let her eyes wander towards the dark windows, focusing intensely on the woodline beside their home and willing her parents to walk through the door.

A sharp noise sent chills down her spine as something stirred in the night.

A howl.

She was on her feet in an instant and hurried to the kitchen.

"Did you guys hear that?"

The twins twisted to stare at her with confusion.

"Hear what?" April cocked an eyebrow.

Aria stared at them for a moment.

"That- that," she paused, her eyes falling to the floor, "that howl?"

The room fell silent.

The twins stared at her incredulously.

"Are you insane?" April broke the silence with her cackling laughter, Arto joining in quickly and loudly.

Aria tugged her lip in between her teeth as the exited the room, the twins' laughter following her out.

She wasn't insane. She _knew_ what she heard.

Michael and Naomi didn't return home until well past three in the morning.


	3. The Downward Spiral

The following morning, all four Clearwater children were up at the brink of dawn, showered, dressed, school ready, and seated impatiently at the kitchen table. They saw their parents' car in the driveway and relief flooded through their systems. And then came the questions.

Naomi had just barely taken a step out of the bedroom when the twins began their questioning.

"Why weren't you guys at my volleyball game?"

"Why weren't you guys home last night?"

Naomi sighed and sucked her lips in, dropping her eyes to the floor and continuing towards the kitchen. Purple bags rimmed her eyes, and she yawned at least three times before she made it to the fridge.

"Mom, are you ignoring us?" April continued, turning on her heels and coming to stand behind her mother. Aria pursed her lips.

Naomi shook her head as she began whipping eggs in a bowl. After a moment, she bashfully looked up to meet her eldest daughter's stare. "April Elizabeth, something came up that your father and I had to take care of. It's nothing to fuss about." She turned around and poured the eggs into a pan, quietly beginning to hum. April looked back to Arto with a raised eyebrow.

Michael exited the bedroom, his eyes dark and his steps heavy.

"What kind of thing came up?" April persisted, leaning against the counter beside her mother.

"Something for the council, April. Leave it be." Michael cut in, shaking his head and plopping down at the table. April's mouth fell open for a moment before clamping shut once more. She pursed her lips and sighed once more before giving up. She reclaimed her seat beside Arto.

The Clearwaters ate breakfast silently. Every-so-often, awkward eye-contact would be made, but no words were spoken. Arto couldn't help but notice how his father's eyes never left the side of his face.

As the children stood to leave for school, Michael finally spoke.

"Arto, refresh me, big guy, when is your birthday?"

Arto cocked an eyebrow and shared a worried glance with April, "January third, why?"

Michael blew out through his mouth and shook his head, running a hand through his graying hair. "And you'll be eighteen?"

Arto nodded. Michael's face grew grim. Naomi had stopped doing the dishes and was watching them with worry.

"Guys, we should go. We're going to be late." Aria finally spoke, her eyes wide and mouth pursed to the side. Everyone's attention snapped to her, and finally, everyone began coming back to their normal selves. Naomi turned her attention back to the dishes, Michael went back to eating his toast, and the children grabbed their bookbags.

* * *

The day seemed to pass by as normal.

Quil threw Aria over his shoulder the moment that they saw one another, Mrs. Oonagh scolded him for such actions, Jacob and Quil got into a wrestling match during free period, Aria lost five dollars in a bet with Emby over who would win; this was all very usual for them.

Shortly following the end of the day, Aria found herself in Jacob's garage. She sat lazily on the makeshift couch and watched as Jacob worked on his car. His eyes were trained on the engine, his fingers working skillfully, a thin line of sweat forming above his brow.

Aria was in awe of him.

All too soon, the doors swung open, and Embry and Quil entered the garage, whooping and laughing with every step. The silence was broken, and Aria snapped back to reality, her cheeks flushing pink.

"Better eat up while you can! Embry damn-near ate the whole thing on the way here." Quil cackled, Embry shoving into him and crunching his features together.

"That's bull, and you know it! I had one piece."

Quil rolled his eyes again and winked to Aria; she giggled and reached for the pizza box. "You guys got me half Hawaiian, right?" Her eyes flittered between Quil and Embry questioningly, "I'm leaving if you didn't get half Hawaiian."

"Jesus, Aria, calm down," Quil laughed out, opening up the box to reveal half Hawaiian and half pepperoni, "we haven't forgotten since we were born." Embry chuckled along and nodded.

Aria squealed in delight and launched forward to snatch a piece from the box, already gnawing down on it.

"So did you ever find out why your parents bailed yesterday?" Jacob asked, leaning against a toolbox and taking a bite of his pizza.

Aria crinkled her nose, "Barely! It's so weird. My mom kept blowing April off saying that 'something came up' and then my dad said that it was something to do with the council."

"The council?" Embry cocked an eyebrow. Quil scrunched his face up, and Jacob bit his lip. Aria looked to him with question.

"My dad was gone last night when I got home, I figured he was just with Chief Swan or something."

Aria felt something in her stomach twist.

"Whatever, they probably just had to plan the next bonfire or something." Quil shrugged, taking another slice of pizza from the box and brushing it all off. The others slowly agreed.

Things fell momentarily quiet as the teens finished eating.

"Alright," Quil swallowed, "Bethany Miller's ass: ten out of ten, am I right?"

Embry, Aria, and Jacob flew into a combination of agreements and denials, the garage suddenly being overtaken by sound as they launched themselves into a heated discussion.

"Bethany Miller? Are you kidding? She's nasty!" Aria cried out, shaking her head ferociously, Jacob pointing at her and nodding in agreement as he laughed. The sound had stopped being able to come out moments before, his mouth merely opening and closing.

"She's not nasty, Aria! She's pretty hot." Embry argued. Aria made a gagging sound.

"Don't be that way, Ari, not _everyone_ can be as hot as you." Quil rolled his eyes, and Jacob and Embry nodded in agreement. Aria's cheeks flushed, and she glared at the boys teasingly.

"You're not funny." She grumbled.

"Good thing I'm not trying to be funny." Quil grumbled in return.

They stared at each other for a moment before Aria made a face at him.

* * *

Days passed by following this same pattern: April and Arto would question their parents' whereabouts, their parents would brush away their inquiries, Aria would spend days on end with her boys, and Ava did whatever it was that Ava did with her alone time.

Days turned into weeks, and then things began to change.

"Oh dear! April, honey, could you finish up dinner?" Naomi's eyes widened as she hung up the phone with her husband, her voice frantic. April raised an eyebrow for only a moment before she nodded and stood from the table, coming to stand at the stove. Naomi kissed her cheek before bustling out the front door.

A few houses down, Aria and Jacob sat on his carpeted living room floor, their eyes glued to the television as _Con Air_ played; it was their favorite movie.

"You know, this movie just proves the fact that good guys always get shit on." Jacob thought aloud, Aria's eyes moving to his face. She pursed her lips as she took in his handsome features for the millionth time.

She shrugged, "I don't know, I don't think that's totally true. It just takes longer for them to get what they deserve."

Jacob looked at her skeptically for a moment before shaking his head. He reached his hands back to pull his long hair into a low ponytail. Aria loved his hair.

The phone rang in the kitchen. Billy answered. The teens went back to watching their movie.

"Dammit." Billy cursed.

Jacob craned his neck to see his father through the doorway, "You alright?"

Billy cursed once more under his breath before speaking, "I'm fine, son. Something happened at Charlie's, though. Common, we've gotta head over. You too, Ari."

The two looked to one another with question, though they wordlessly got into the truck and rode to the Swan residence.

Aria looked at the plain white house as they pulled up, her eyes scanning from window to window and then down to the police cruiser out front. A familiar red truck sat in the driveway, and Aria recognized it well; it had once been Jacob and Billy's until the past spring when Charlie had bought it off them as a homecoming gift for Isabella.

Thinking about Isabella Swan was an odd thing for Aria. After meeting at a young age, the two girls could've been considered very good friends for a while. They spent most of Isabella's vacations together on the reservation for a good part of their childhood. Bella's visits became less frequent, though, and their age gap grew too large for them to fully understand one another anymore.

The driveway was packed with cars, and many people were scattered between the front yard and the back.

Aria and Jacob looked to each other warily as they got out of the truck.

They all approached the largest group of people where Charlie happened to be. His eyebrows were scrunched together in distress as he spoke rapidly with the men around him. Billy neared him confidently and fell easily into the chatter; Aria and Jacob stood along the outskirts and stretched their ears to hear what was going on.

Minutes later, they discovered that Isabella was missing, and her boyfriend's family had just moved out of town.

The Cullens had just moved out of town.

Aria only briefly knew of the Cullens. She knew that there was word along the reservation that they had some odd affiliation with the 'Cold Ones' from their tribe's legends. She had never been one to invest her whole interest in those legends, though. Her father was on the council, as was her Uncle Harry, and even Billy Black, and she knew that it meant a lot to them. It had just never seemed very plausible in her mind.

Minutes later, Michael and Naomi Clearwater approached Aria and Jacob.

"Aria, what are you two doing here?" Naomi rushed to her daughter's side, her hands instinctively reaching out to grasp her arm and run through her hair affectionately.

"My dad had us come." Jacob interjected, Naomi and Michael nodding with understanding.

Hours passed, and the sun dropped below the horizon; a chill set in everyone's bones. Bella was still gone. Charlie, Billy, Harry, and Michael all crowded around the police cruiser and listened to the scanner for any updates.

None came.

As night crept in, a strong figure exited the treeline carrying something. Aria and Jacob looked on curiously as it approached the group.

"It's Bella!" the figure called out, "She's alright!"

Charlie rushed forward to take her limp body from the man's arms. He and a small portion of the group hurried inside to tend to her.

"Thank you, Sam." Billy nodded to him with approval, Harry and Michael followed suit.

"That's Sam Uley?" Aria whispered to Jacob, her eyes wide. Jacob nodded very seriously, his jaw tightening and eyes growing cold. She stared at Sam for a moment before he looked in her direction.

Jacob placed a hand on her back and guided her towards the driveway; his touch was tender but stern. She didn't question it, and she couldn't say that she minded it either.

Once Bella had been carried inside, it seemed that all of the commotion was over in minutes, and almost everyone had already vacated the Swan residence. Jacob and Aria soon found themselves sitting in the cab of Billy's truck in the dark, as they waited for him to come back out.

The question lingered on Aria's tongue for a moment before she spoke, and even when she did, her voice was timid in comparison to her normal confidence. "Jake," she began, his eyes coming to meet hers, "why did you pull me to the driveway once Sam Uley got here?"

Jacob stared at her for only a moment before he looked out the windshield and up to the star-covered sky. He sat like that for a moment before he slowly shook his head and sighed, "I don't know, Ari, I really don't. I just," he sighed once more and ran a hand down his face, "I just get this weird feeling when he's around. It's like, I don't know, he looks at me like he knows something that I don't. I just don't know; something's not right about the guy anymore."

The following day, Leah called Aria, and the phone filled with heartbroken sobs as Leah informed her that Sam had broken up with her, and therefore, broken off their engagement.

Things did not get better from there.

* * *

 **First of all, I want to thank you all so so very much for all of the favorites, follows, and most importantly: the reviews! I want to apologize on account of the fact that this is all starting off so slowly. I really want to set the stage with everyone's relationships before I dive into the story, but I promise that things will start getting exciting considering that we're in New Moon now!**


	4. The Change

**Hey everyone! I'm on break from school right now, which means my entire life is basically writing more chapters. I'm so excited to start diving into all the drama, as we see in this chapter! Thank you to those who continue to read, favorite, follow, and especially review!**

* * *

"What do you mean he just broke it off?" Aria tried to put together the jumbles of tears, sobs, and words coming from the other end of the phone.

Leah Clearwater sniffled, blew her nose, and spoke again, "Listen, Aria, just go get April. You won't understand."

Aria grit her teeth, her anger flaring up for just a moment, "I'm not getting April, Leah. You can talk to me! I want to help!"

Leah released another sob before the phone clicked off, the dial tone re-assaulting Aria's ear. She groaned and ran a hand through her hair, dropping her face against the cool wooden table. Why couldn't Leah just accept her help instead?

She kept her cheek on the kitchen table, her thoughts jumbling together. They wandered to Isabella Swan, who also happened to be going through a breakup. Charlie had told her father about Bella's newformed "zombie-like" state whilst on an early morning fishing trip with Billy and Harry.

Something about it all just seemed _off._

Her mind wandered to what Jacob had said to her just the night before about Sam Uley watching him like he knew something that no one else did; what could that possibly mean?

"Decide to finally give up?"

Quil's voice, Embry's laughter, and the door slamming shut behind them pulled Aria from her thoughts, her head snapping up and her eyes growing wide at the two. They cackled with laughter, and her eyes thinned into slits at them, only heightening their amusement.

She stood from her seat, following the two into the living room and plopping onto the couch in between them, "I hope you two don't think you're _that_ funny just because of one comment." She grumbled, crossing her arms across her chest.

Quil wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side and placing a rough kiss to her temple, "Awh, Ari," he chuckled, "I _know_ that I'm that funny."

She squirmed under his grasp, shoving at his chest and face, "Get away from me! Who even invited you here?" She giggled, wiping at the spit mark on her temple with disgust. Embry and Quil laughed once more, high-fiving above her head.

Embry grabbed the remote from the table, flicking through the channels until he landed on a _Paranormal Activity_ movie. Aria widened her eyes at him, her head already twisting from side to side, "No, no, no!" she reached across him for the remote, one hand shielding her eyes from the television, "You know I hate scary movies!"

The boys groaned, throwing their hands up in the hair in surrender. "You know, if I knew you were going to be such a bad hostess, I wouldn't have come here," Quil rolled his eyes, yanking the remote from Aria and turning on Netflix.

Aria's jaw dropped at him, her eyebrows quirking, "Uhm, I didn't invite you, Quil. You just showed up! It wasn't my job to be a good hostess."

Embry chuckled from behind her as Quil stared at her in shock. She whipped around to face him, pointing a finger at him, "I didn't invite you either!"

The room fell silent for a moment before Aria gave up, offering a weak apology as she sprawled out across the boys, her head on Quil's lap and her feet on Embry's. They, after another extensive argument, agreed on a crude-humored comedy. An hour later, Jacob arrived and joined their movie evening, lounging himself across the loveseat beside the couch.

As the evening carried on, the rest of the Clearwater's arrived, falling into their evening rituals.

"Oh, hi, boys!" Naomi greeted cheekily, earning a smile from the boys in turn, "Will you all be staying for dinner?"

The boys looked at one another before grinning, "If that'd be okay!" Jacob was always the speaker of the three.

"Don't be silly, you've all been more than welcome here since the day you were born." Naomi waved a hand at them, smiling and heading towards the kitchen.

Ava wandered into the living room, her eyes scanning across the guys before landing on Embry; she smiled and rushed towards his waiting arms. From the time that she could walk, Ava had favored Embry above all others, even her family members. When asked why, she had merely replied, "He's not annoying like everyone else."

No one had questioned it since.

Arto called out a greeting as he walked in, hurrying up to his room. Minutes later, he began playing his trumpet, the muffled sound carrying downstairs. Aria cringed; he wasn't the most talented musician. Quil grit his teeth and looked to Aria with quirked eyebrows, and she shrugged.

And finally, April walked through the front door, her hair thrown into a haphazard bun atop her head, and her face slightly red. Her eyes scanned the living room, coming to land on Aria with anger. She pointed a finger, "Why couldn't _you_ deal with Leah today?"

Aria's jaw dropped open, her hands gesturing wildly, "No! I was on the phone with her _trying_ to help, and she wouldn't let me! She told me to get _you_!"

April groaned in aggravation, and she ripped the bun from her hair, "I can't stand it!" She ran her fingers through her knotted locks, "This is all so dumb! They've been together since the dawn of fricken time, why the hell would he do this?"

Aria shrugged and pursed her lips.

Michael entered the room, his eyes flickering between his eldest daughters, and he sighed, "Girls, I've had enough of this Sam and Leah talk, alright? Sometimes, things just don't work out. Just be there for your cousin, that's it."

The girls stared at one another for a moment before they slowly turned to him and nodded. He pursed his lips- it was a Clearwater trait they all happened to share. He said 'hello' to the boys and joined Naomi in the kitchen.

April and Aria stared at one another once more, their eyes wide and eyebrows cocked.

Arto struck an ugly not on the trumpet.

"Jesus, Arto, that sounds awful!" April broke their eye-contact as she yelled. She groaned once more before hurrying upstairs to Arto's room.

The boys howled with laughter as the twins began to argue.

* * *

A month passed by normally. Everyone carried out their days as they always did: Aria spent her days surrounded by her boys, Arto practiced his trumpet, and April did her best to comfort Leah through the breakup.

It wasn't until late October that things started to fall apart.

Aria walked through the front door, waving goodbye to Jacob as he dropped her off. She shut the door behind herself, a smile still painted across her face. She loved her days with Jacob.

She was met with the sound of yelling from the kitchen, her face dropping slightly as she neared the doorway.

"I guess I just don't understand why you have to be a bitch to everyone!" Arto yelled.

Aria cringed; Arto _never_ yelled, and especially never at April.

April took a step back, though both twins remained on the attack, their faces red, their jaws clenched. In her entire life, Aria couldn't remember a single time when the twins had fought. It was weird, it was something absolutely foreign in their house. She didn't understand. It was in that moment that Aria took in how much bigger Arto looked. He had always been only an inch or so taller than April- the Clearwater's weren't a tall family. But suddenly, it was as if he had grown overnight; he suddenly stood at at least six feet tall.

"Are you kidding? Arto, what the hell? I'm not a bitch to _anyone_ , nonetheless everyone!"

"Stop lying! You're even a bitch to me about my trumpet!"

"You know I'm just kidding when I pick at you about your trumpet!"

"No, I'm getting real sick of it, April. April's the responsible one, April's the smarter one, April's the more talented one, April's-"

"Just stop it!"

"No, you stop it! Stop making me live in your shadow!"

Aria watched in horror as Arto began to shake, his face growing even redder with anger than she had ever imagined. It seemed as if the next few moments all happened in slow motion.

Michael and Naomi rushed into the room, Naomi taking April by the shoulders and beginning to wipe the tears from her tanned cheeks, and Michael grabbing Arto, pushing him towards the back door. Arto struggled against him, his anger and aggression both seeming to rise by the second. The door slammed behind them, and everything fell eerily quiet.

"Mom, I don't even know what happened, I swear! I-"

"No, no, honey, it's not your fault; I know that."

April inhaled deeply, her hands hurriedly wiping at her eyes and cheeks. Aria hesitantly entered the room, her eyes wide as she stared at April. She couldn't find the right words, or even the right thoughts for that matter.

What was wrong with Arto for him to freak out like that?

"I know! How about I make us some hot chocolate, and we turn on a movie? How about that?" Naomi spoke nervously, her smile tight and her feet jittery.

"I'd like hot chocolate," Aria finally chimed in, her eyes hopeful. She yearned for something normal.

Naomi smiled at her and turned back to April, waiting for her response.

"Yeah, that's good and all, but what about dad and Arto?" April's eyes wandered to the back door in distress, Naomi taking a step in that direction to stand as a block. April raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, sweetie, they'll probably just go for a walk or something to clear their heads," she waved her hands, beginning towards the cabinet to grab the hot chocolate, "how about you go upstairs and get Ava? I bet she'll love to join our movie night."

April sniffled and nodded, awkwardly moving towards the staircase. Aria stared at her mother; something wasn't right.

After a moment, Naomi looked at her and raised a thin eyebrow, "What is it, Ari?"

Aria pursed her lips as she took a seat at the table, "That was just so unlike Arto, I mean, especially to April," she shrugged.

Naomi's mouth pulled into a thin line, and she nodded, turning back to the counter, "He's probably just a little stressed out or something, from school."

Aria stared at the back of her head. Never in her life had she thought her mother was lying to her. She felt sick.

"Did Arto get taller?"

Naomi grew eerily still. She waited a moment. Aria swallowed hard.

"Maybe, some boys take longer to grow."

"Hm."

April and Ava came down the stairs, Naomi turning to smile at them and hand them each a cup. She added whipped cream atop both of them before squirting a drop on Ava's nose.

* * *

"He just bugged out? What do you mean?" Quil asked, raising an eyebrow. Jacob and Embry had stopped working on Jacob's car for a moment, their attention entirely on Aria as she spoke.

"I'm not kidding, guys. He literally bugged out. He was yelling at April, and he was all red in the face, and he was, _shaking._ Like I mean _really_ shaking, it was freaky. And then my dad stormed in and yanked him out the back door, and they didn't come back last night. April had to drive us to school."

The guys stared at her incredulously, and she nodded, sucking her bottom lip in between her teeth.

"Wow," Jacob finally spoke, shaking his head and blowing air out through his front teeth, "that's weird, Ari. Like really weird."

She nodded in agreement and sighed, plopping down on the makeshift couch in his garage. Her eyes wandered across the ceiling, and her mind began to wander as well. As if the prior night's incident hadn't shaken her enough, Arto's absence that morning and in school had really done it. Arto _never_ missed school.

Arto wasn't home for the next week.

And when he finally came home, he was an entirely different person.


	5. The Return

April had gasped when Arto first walked through the front door.

It was after school; Naomi had been making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the girls and herself, Ava was reading, and April and Aria were doing their homework. They had been trying their best to return to normalcy, though it hadn't been easy.

"Arto, what-" April's words died in her throat, her eyes widening as she took in her twin's appearance. Aria couldn't even bring together coherent thoughts. The boy- the _man-_ standing before them did not resemble her brother in the least.

He had grown, even more so than when she had last seen him. He seemed too big to even be fitting in the house. He was suddenly muscular. Aria wanted to scoff; Arto had never been near a gym of any sorts in his entire life. If she hadn't been so overwhelmed and frightened of her _brother_ , she probably would have scoffed at him. Muscles rippled from beneath his tight shirt, twisting and flexing with every small movement. Her eyes wandered, in disbelief, finally, to his face. It was the same face that she had grown up with, but it wasn't. His hair was cropped off almost completely. Maybe that's what shocked her most- was his hair. Arto had fought to keep his hair as it was for almost his entire life; he had loved his hair. And now it was gone; every last detail that made him look like _him_ was gone.

April had finally found herself again, standing slowly to approach him. Their eyes stayed locked within one another as she moved, his body rigid and her steps cautious.

"Where were you?" She spoke, her voice quiet. Aria knew that she had been suffering without him around.

Arto inhaled deeply, his eyes fluttering shut for only a moment before he spoke, "I just had to go figure some things out. I'm sorry for our fight."

April bit her lip, "I'm sorry if I'm a bitch to you sometimes." Her eyes fell to the floor. Aria and Arto sighed in unison.

"You're not- don't worry about it." He shook his head and brushed past her, barreling up the stairs and into his room.

Within seconds, Aria found herself bustling out the front door and over to Jacob's house; he lived the closest. Even as a child, Aria can remember rushing to his house the moment that something went wrong in her little life. If her mother didn't have any applesauce and that was what she wanted, she'd scurry off to Jacob's. If April and Arto didn't want her playing with them, she'd scurry off to Jacob's. It was always a safe place.

"Jacob!" She rushed in through the front door, running straight into his chest. The blood rushed to her cheeks, and she begin giggling. Jacob stared down at her in bewilderment, an eyebrow cocked, a loose strand of hair resting on his cheek.

"What are you doing?" Jacob laughed out, bringing his hands to hold her upper arms. He stared at her incredulously as he chuckled, her giggling continuing on. She looked crazy, and so she couldn't help her laughter at herself.

"Arto's back." she finally calmed down, her cheeks still pink, and her smile slowly fading.

"What? That's great!" Jacob beamed. Aria stared at him. His smile faded to match hers.

"He's barely Arto anymore, Jake," she whispered, shaking her head. Her eyes fell to the floor, and she began wandering towards the living room. Quil and Embry's howling laughter carried out to her, and despite her slight upset, she still smiled at them.

"Hey hey hey, there's the princess!" Quil called out, leaping up from the couch and swooping her into his arms. She squealed as he spun them around, her hands pushing at his shoulders, her eyes clenched shut.

"Quil Ateara, put her down." Billy grumbled, rolling his chair into the living room and chuckling along with Embry and Jacob. Quil blushed, and he begrudgingly placed her back on the carpet. Aria giggled and slapped his chest, shoving past him roughly to take a seat on the couch beside Embry.

"Okay, so he's back. You can't just leave me hanging like that! What do you mean, 'he's barely Arto anymore,'?" Jacob plopped down in his father's recliner to face Aria, Embry and Quil following suit.

Quil cocked an eyebrow, "Arto's back?"

"Hardly! Guys, he's," she paused, the tip of her tongue poking through her lips in thought, "he's not himself."

"Stop beating around the bush, what's up with him?" Embry finally spoke, inching forward in his seat.

Aria sighed and ran a hand through her hair, she found it hard to meet their eyes, "Do you remember what happened with Sam Uley last month?"

The three boys grew serious.

Jacob spoke first, "You're not trying to say that it's like that… Right?"

Aria's quiet stare answered his question.

"No," Jacob shook his head, "that's not possible." The very thought seemed impossible to him. He had grown up with Arto just as much as he had with Aria; they were practically brothers. Everyone on the Reservation knew that Sam Uley had always been rough around the edges, especially after the ordeal with his father; it was no wonder that strange things had happened with him. But Arto? Arto was a good kid from a good family- a family that was practically Jaocb's own family.

It was impossible.

"We're coming over."

Quil and Embry followed him quickly out of the house, marching just down the street and into Aria's driveway. They entered the home without knocking, Aria trailing behind them- just as she had since they were kids.

"Yo, Art! Where are you?" Jacob called, turning briefly to offer a smile to Naomi. She grinned tightly at him and waved to Quil and Embry.

Jacob marched up the worn wooden stairs, though Embry and Quil quietly seated themselves at the table beside April and Ava. Naomi offered them sandwiches, and they quickly accepted.

For a moment, Aria stood in the kitchen doorway, distress evident on her small features. She opened her mouth to speak, though the words just couldn't come out. She didn't have words. It was so typical Jacob to take matters into his own hands, and she knew there was no way of stopping him.

Just minutes had passed when Jacob and Arto's voices raised, Naomi growing visibly more worried. Aria knew her mother knew something she didn't.

Arto's bedroom door slammed, and the wood splintered beneath the force behind it.

"This is bullshit, Arto! This isn't who you are!" Jacob's fist banged against the door for a moment more, Aria visibly wincing with every crash of skin on wood.

Everyone fell silent, Jacob's knocking ceasing in defeat. He hobbled back down the steps with his eyes to the floor.

"I'm gonna head out, Ari." He mumbled, beginning towards the front door.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat, dear?" Naomi asked, her motherly eyes welcoming him in. He looked at her and sighed, it wasn't her fault that Arto had changed. But he couldn't find it in him to stay in that house any longer.

"Thank you, but no thank you."

Naomi and Aria both pursed their lips as he shut the door behind himself.

* * *

Days passed, but things didn't get better. Arto was sparsely home within those days, and it was visible that April was becoming to come loose around the edges. It was as if she had lost a part of herself, and in actuality, she had.

It seemed as if the shine in her eyes had dulled, and Aria found that Jacob's had slightly as well. Herself, Quil, and Embry found themselves spending more time together- without Jacob. It was odd to only see the three of them together.

After about a week, though, he came around. It was obvious that he had been hurt about whatever was said between him and Arto, but no one ever asked.

"I'm just saying, I think that you'd have a lot better luck with the ladies if you brushed your hair more, Jake." Quil teased, cackling with laughter as he ducked his head from the projectile tool launched in his direction.

"Why would I take advice from _you,_ Quil? You'll be taking your cousin to prom at the rate that you're going."

Embry and Aria howled with laughter at Jacob's response. Embry's head reared backwards into the wall, and this only furthered Aria's laughter. Tears began to pool in her eyes, and they slowly began to trickle down her tanned cheeks. No one could make her laugh like her boys could.

* * *

Nearly a month had passed since Arto's disappearance and reappearance, and things hadn't gone back to normal. Leah and Seth had started coming over more often- Leah to see April whilst they were both in their state of depression, and Seth to see Aria in search of a new friendship.

Aria, Jacob, Quil, and Embry had been stuck-like-glue to one another practically since birth, and so there had never been any room for Seth to slip in; he had tried his best to refrain from bugging all of them growing up.

"Ari!" Seth cried, rushing through the door and into her arms. She giggled in delight and returned his embrace; the two stood at nearly the same height. He pulled her head closer, bringing his mouth to her ear, "Thank God I have you now; Leah's unbearable." He chuckled.

Aria giggled and switched their positions, coming to whisper to him in turn, "April too- they're a perfect match."

The cousins broke out in laughter as they separated.

Quil came over; he was excited to have the opportunity to be childish with someone other than Jacob and Embry. Seth and he sat on the couch, shoving at one another as they played video games. Aria perched above them on the back of the couch, a book in her hands. Despite the teenage boys bickering below her, it was somehow the most peaceful moment she had had in a while.

Until Leah and Arto began screaming, April chiming in quickly.

Aria dropped her book, Quil and Seth's eyes shooting upwards to the upstairs balcony.

"How could you do that after you knew what he did to me?" Leah wailed, "You _knew,_ you're _family,_ and you're still taking his side?"

"You don't understand, and you never will. Sam did what he had to do!"

"That is bullshit, Arto! You're just as bad as he is!"

The house fell eerily quiet.

"I guess I am."

With that, Arto stormed down the stairs and out the back door.

Michael and Naomi wandered through the front door, a somehow knowing look of sadness in their eyes as they scanned across the house. April and Leah fled back into April's room, and the remaining three teenagers remained silent and motionless on the couch.

For a moment, no one knew what to do or say.

"Aria, Charlie Swan would like you to head over to his place tomorrow and see if you can get some reaction outta Isabella. I told him I'd bring you myself."

Aria felt her nose crinkle with distaste before she could even stop herself. Seth and Quil chuckled.

* * *

The following day, true to his word, Michael dropped Aria off at the Swan residence. She cringed as she hopped out of the vehicle, yanking her jacket tighter to her body. It was mid-November, and she was already dreading the following months of winter; but she wasn't dreading winter half as much as she was dreading her day with Bella.

Michael sat in the truck and watched her until she entered the house; he knew there would be a chance of her running off and making one of her boys pick her up. She turned around to look at him once more before she followed Charlie into the house, crinkling her nose and pouting her lips at her father. He chuckled and saluted her.

She returned the gesture with a giggle and followed Charlie Swan into his home.

Cold.

The Swan's house was _cold._

It wasn't like any of the homes on the Reservation. No, they were warm and kind and welcoming. Nothing like this place. It was no wonder Bella Swan couldn't drag herself out of breakup-induced- depression; her house was so _cold._

Aria tried to shake off the feeling.

"I can't thank you enough for coming today, Aria." Charlie finally spoke, grasping the young girl's attention as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

She looked up at him and shook her head slowly, "No, no, it's no problem, Mr. Swan. Bella's always been a friend of mine, I'm glad to try and help."

He smiled at her. It was a sad smile that didn't reach his eyes, but she could tell that it had been some time since he had last used it. She gulped, and her throat was suddenly drier than she remembered.

"Well," Charlie spoke again, "she's up in her room. As always." He mumbled, shaking his head. "You can just go right in. I'll be outside if you need anything; help yourself to anything in the house."

Aria nodded, "Good, uhm, thank you."

They stood in momentary silence before Charlie coughed, nodding briefly and moving towards the front door.

Aria stood at the bottom of the stairs and sighed.

How did she ever allow this to be thrust upon her?


	6. The Progression

The stairs creaked as Aria ascended them, dread pooling in the form of a knot in her stomach and lump in her throat. Why was her father making her do it? She felt helpless, and more than anything, childish. Bella had been one of her childhood friends, she _had_ to do this for her. She'd do it for Embry or Quil or Jacob, why couldn't she just buck up and do it for Bella?

It felt like years going up those stairs, and if possible, it was getting even colder the further up she went.

Bella's bedroom was almost the same as it had always been. Aria cracked open the door hesitantly, and she was met with almost complete darkness. Not only was Bella's house so _cold_ , but it was dark too. It was nothing like Aria's home.

"Bella?"

A hunched figure sat in a rocking chair, blankets shrouding the being beneath.

Moments passed, and it turned towards her. It was Bella.

The gasp that fell out of Aria's mouth was nearly silent as she stared at the shell of the girl she once knew- the girl with big brown eyes and braided hair who let Aria paint her fingernails hot pink because that was her favorite color. But that wasn't the skeleton that was staring at her with hollow eyes.

"… Aria?"

She gulped.

"That's me," she giggled nervously, shutting the door behind her, "I came to-"

"Talk me out of my depression?"

"Uh-" Aria choked on her saliva, placing a hand on her chest and shaking her head. Bella chuckled bitterly.

"You can come here." Bella turned back around, her eyes coming to watch Charlie as he raked the leaves off of the nearly frozen ground.

Aria scanned the room once more before she neared Bella, her steps cautious and careful as to not move or kick anything on the floor. She came to stand beside the rocking chair, her heart pumping so loud she feared that Bella might hear it. Silence filled the room. Aria shuffled her feet nervously.

"How did this happen?"

Silence continued.

Aria sighed. She wanted to go home, she wanted to hang out with her boys, she wanted to do anything but be standing there with Bella.

Time passed. Bella refused to speak, and Aria gave up on asking questions, or even making conversation, for that matter. Bella didn't want to talk, it was evident. Obviously, Charlie was worried, and obviously he had reason to be, but it was also obvious that Aria was getting no further with Bella than he had.

Michael, to Aria's relief, finally returned to the Swan residence to pick her up after hours of silence in that _cold, dark_ house. She nearly sprinted to the vehicle after bidding Charlie farewell.

"Well, how'd it go?" Michael asked. Aria sighed deeply and shook her head slowly. She shrugged. Michael pursed his lips. They rode home with only the radio in the background.

Thankfully, dinner was ready when they arrived, and her boys were all there to talk about their days.

* * *

It had been two weeks from Aria's attempt at "comforting" Bella. Charlie had called and thanked Michael for lending her services.

"Quil Ateara, you're _dead_!" Aria screeched, her hands coming up to tear the remnants of a snowball out of her hair and hood. He cackled from behind her, Jacob joining in and Embry standing beside her in shock. She spun on her heels, eyes squinted and blood pumping with anger.

"Oh, stop it, princess, it's just a snowball." Quil laughed, coming up and tossing an arm around her shoulders. She squirmed away from him, her eyes still squinted, eyebrows crunched together.

"You're not funny, Quil! That shit is _so_ old." She shoved at his chest, pushing herself farther away as she stormed into the school.

"Common, Ari! It was just a snowball!" He chased after her, disbelief in his eyes. He caught up with her at her locker, leaning against the one beside it and staring at the side of her face. "Ari," he began, a hand reaching out to touch her arm, "I was just foolin' around."

She sighed and faced him, shutting her locker and shrugging, "I'm just not in the mood. Sorry."

"What's up with that? You're always in the mood for Quil's bullshit." Embry and Jacob had finally joined them, Embry intervening his opinion. Aria sighed again.

"It's just been a rough couple of weeks." She shook her head, hiking her bookbag closer and beginning towards her homeroom.

The boys somehow understood, thinking back on her most recent stories of Arto's violent outbursts. No one knew quite how to handle Arto's new persona, and it was clear that the family was suffering. April certainly hadn't been the same since his "change" happened. She wasn't half as snappy as she was before, and she spent more and more time with Leah- which was never a good thing.

That day, to Aria's disbelief, Arto was sitting on the couch when she got home from school. She hesitantly looked around, no sign of the rest of her family anywhere. She quirked an eyebrow.

"April's with Leah, the others went to get dinner stuff."

Arto's voice had grown foreign in their home; he was gone more times than not, and it was rare to even see him at school anymore. Though, for some reason, their parents didn't seem to have an issue with it, and no one ever brought it up.

Aria turned to him, casually lounging with one leg slung over the armrest, and she pursed her lips briefly before nodding. She meandered about for a minute or so, unsure of what to do next. When she finally decided, she found herself seated on the loveseat, her wandering eyes landing on the side of her brother's head. She might never get used to the lack of floppy hair.

"It's nice to see you." Aria finally found her voice, her eyes falling to the carpeted floor. Arto turned to stare at her.

He didn't answer.

She was getting sick of being ignored.

Something outside made them both jump, their heads twisting and their eyes flying to the window.

A howl.

Something clicked in Aria's brain.

Arto was on his feet in a fraction of second, and Aria followed suit, her eyes flying to him with accusation.

"No!"

"What?" His attention snapped to her.

"No! You're not leaving."

Arto squinted his eyes at her and chuckled dryly, beginning towards the backdoor; Aria followed.

"Don't be an idiot, Aria, I have to go."

She cocked an eyebrow with disgust, latching onto the back of his arm. Her eyes widened, and she snatched her hand back, bringing it to be held in the other.

"What the hell, Arto? Why are you so hot?"

The two stared at each other.

Arto stormed out the door.

* * *

Snow was an ever-prevalent aspect of life in La Push by the time that December came along. Arto's truck barely managed to start up some mornings, and either Jacob or Embry had to come and dig the Cleartwaters out of their driveway. Unfortunately, though, some mornings, the snow could simply not be "pushed aside," and a rare occasion would take place: a snow day. These days were few and far between, but they were the very best days.

"Ariaaaa, wake up wake up wake up!"

"It's a snow day!"

The voices pulled her from her sleep, rough bouncing on her bed woke her up entirely, and moments later, she hit the floor.

"Jesus Christ, Quil! Embry!"

Her eyes flew open, only to be met by two smirking faces leaning over her from the comfort of her disheveled bed. Jacob stood in the doorway, his laughter filling the room. She grumbled lightheartedly and stood up, shoving Embry aside to make room in her bed before crawling back in between the two.

"Look at that, she's even gorgeous in the morning," Quil remarked, winking at her and ruffling her knotted hair.

She giggled and grumbled, swatting away his hand and leaning her head on Embry's shoulder. She patted a spot at the foot of the bed, eyeing Jacob; he immediately plopped himself down. The iron frame creaked from the weight.

For a moment, the four best friends merely sat there and soaked in one another's presence. They, since childhood, had always found solace within one another; it was something that Aria was thankful for every day.

"Alright," Jacob clapped his hands together, sitting up and facing the others, "you," he pointed to Aria, "change into some jammies that don't show your ass." She sneered at him and stood up.

"You," he pointed to Quil, "start lining up the movies for today-"

"Nothing scary!" Aria called from the closet.

Quil rolled his eyes.

"And you," he pointed to Embry, "start up the popcorn machine-"

"Microwave-"

"Shut up, Aria!"

"Bite me."

Jacob rolled his eyes.

"Start making popcorn and hot chocolate. We've got a long day ahead of us."


	7. The Christmas Day Fiasco

**Hey, everyone! So, I know that I went far too long without updating, and now, here I am updating again just days later. I don't really have a good excuse for my absence, but I'm back, now! I've done some soul-searching, dug super deep, and I've now got a whole plan for the rest of this story; believe it or not, I already have the next few chapters typed up. This means that you can be expecting more frequent updates for a while now! I feel like the last chapter was fairly bland and that I should make it up to you (along with making up for my absence) by posting this one.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me, and welcome to my new readers! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!**

* * *

When Aria emerged at the top of the staircase, clad in gray flannel sleep pants and an old, loose shirt of Arto's, she was met with the sounds of popping popcorn and the previews to a Christmas movie. The smell of hot chocolate wafted through the air, and warmth engulfed her.

She loved her home and everyone in it- including, and especially, her boys.

"No need to worry," Quil patted himself on the chest, "I took the liberty of putting on Elf."

Aria giggled and smiled, hopping down the stairs and sliding on her socks into the kitchen. "Emb, did you put marshmallows in mine?" She asked, her face raising up in acknowledgement of the hot chocolate mugs lined up along the countertop.

He chuckled and nodded, picking up a white mug and handing it to her. She smiled in return and pranced away into the living room.

Quil, true to tradition, had filled the carpeted floor with blankets, quilts, and pillows. He knew that Embry and Jacob would still sprawl across the couch, regardless, but he knew that Aria loved the floor, and he didn't mind it much either. She, expectedly, plopped herself in the pile of blankets and gingerly placed her mug on the table behind her.

"Hurry up, it's about to start!" Jacob hollered out, Embry, moments later, casually sauntering in. Aria glared up at him from her place beside Quil, a hand-knitted blanket tossed across their laps.

The four settled in, finally, to watch their movie. The snow continued to fall outside, the windows nearly pure white. It was oddly serene and cozy; the movie playing and the munching of popcorn the only things audible. Two or three movies in, Aria found herself resting her cheek atop of Quil's shoulder, her hands a ball in her lap, her eyes drooping as The Grinch played. At some point, she had fallen asleep.

By the time that Michael and Naomi had returned home from Harry and Sue's, all four teenagers were sound asleep.

* * *

Soon enough, Christmas had arrived. This was, without a doubt, the- ironically- jolliest day in La Push. Families clustered together tightly in their cozy homes, laughs and gifts were shared, food was gobbled, and a "warm" glow seemed to settle over everything.

Similarly to the other families on the Reservation, all of the Clearwaters had gathered in Michael and Naomi's living room, a grand Christmas tree by the window; it had been cut down by Harry and Michael earlier in the month.

The brothers sat on the loveseat, sipping cups of coffee and watching as the festivities took place. Sue and Naomi sat on the floor beside Ava and Seth, and Aria, April, and Leah were nestled into the couch. Arto had yet to make an appearance.

"Well," Naomi clapped her hands together, "let's begin! Leah," she turned to the older girl, "would you like to open a gift first?"

Leah's eyes widened slightly as she realized what was being asked of her. A moment later, she smiled; it was the first sincere smile that the family had seen in a while. She nodded.

About an hour later, as the gift-giving came to a close, the back door opened. All heads turned with curiosity, and a snow-covered Arto entered.

The house fell silent.

He looked around with pursed lips.

"Am I too late?"

Naomi's heart swelled, and she rushed forward to embrace him. He returned it, oddly enough, generously. "You're never too late, sweetie." Naomi cooed.

Everyone took back their original positions in the living room, and Arto opened his gifts.

Shortly after he finished, Arto left once again, and everyone began their afternoon activities. Naomi, Sue, and April bustled about the kitchen, preparing the large Christmas feast and the desserts to follow-up the engorgement with; Leah sat at the table and watched intensely. Harry and Michael wandered out to the shed to "play" with their new tools and gadgets- a habit that their wives agreed they would never grow out of. Ava sat in front of the television, playing with and admiring her new toys as another Christmas movie played. And, for the first time in quite a long time, Aria and Seth spent time together.

They sat on the couch, legs crossed as they faced one another, and they talked. It was odd, seeing that the two had never really been _close_ due to their ages and genders, and Aria had always had her boys; she didn't need anyone else. What was even more odd, though, was the fact that Aria genuinely liked talking with Seth. He was happy all the time, and it was refreshing and nice.

Hours passed, and soon enough, dinner was ready. The table was covered with foods of all sorts, simply waiting to be devoured by the large family. Everyone took their seats, loaded their plates, listened as Harry and Michael recited a Quileute blessing, and they began. Forks clinked against plates, and they chatted amongst one another joyfully.

The front door opened.

Everyone's heads turned to look at the unexpected visitor.

Leah's fist slammed onto the table.

Aria and April sucked in quiet gasps.

Emily Young, their cousin, stood in the doorway.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Leah cried, shoving her chair out from the table and standing up.

Emily, clad in a thick coat and covered in snow, sighed and dropped her head. "It's Christmas, Leah." she began, growing brave enough to meet Leah's eyes, "We're family, and I came to say hello."

Everyone watched in silence; no one could find the right words to say.

"You have no right to be here."

"I'm your cousin, I have every right to be here."

"You're not my cousin. Family doesn't betray one another like this."

Leah shoved past Emily and stormed out of the house.

Emily sighed and shook her head once more; for a moment, it was silent.

"Oh, heavens, Emily, come in. It's freezing out there." Sue was the first to speak, standing up and ushering the younger woman inside. She helped her out of her coat and hugged her, kissing her cheek and whispering something in her ear.

"Have you eaten yet?" Naomi stood, gesturing to the plentiful remains of dinner. Emily's eyes followed her hands.

"Oh, yes, I made dinner over at…" her voice fell away, her eyes falling to the floor with shame.

"Sam's." Michael supplied.

Emily nodded bashfully.

The entire Sam/Emily/Leah topic was something sparsely spoken of amongst the Clearwaters- amongst the town, for that matter. It made everyone uncomfortable, and no one truly knew what had gone on, that is, except for the council members.

"Is Arto still-" Naomi had began. Emily cut her off with a quick nod, and Naomi pursed her lips and nodded in understanding.

Emily stayed for about an hour, and she exchanged gifts with her aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Leah never returned.

* * *

"Hurry up, Jacob! We're going to be late!" Aria squealed, her feet kicking the back of Quil's seat.

" _Yeah,_ Jake, hurry up." Quil gritted his teeth and glared back at Aria. She sneered at him and kicked the seat once more for effect.

Jacob, to their relief, bustled out of his house and hopped into the car, his face flushed and smile wide. "We won't be late, Ari," he chuckled, "and besides, there's always a ton of previews."

"Yeah, but you know how excited I am." She groaned, tossing her head back against the rest. " _And_ , the three of you are going to take forever buying snacks."

"Make that two. Embry just texted, said he isn't feeling too great." Quil flashed his phone up, pulling it back to answer the text.

"What a wuss."

Jacob rolled his eyes as he backed the car out of the driveway, beginning the drive to the movies in Port Angeles. They were going to see King Kong, a movie which had just hit theaters and had drawn in the guys like a moth to the flame. Aria, of course, agreed simply to be with her boys.

The drive there was filled with loud music and mindless chatter. They arrived on time, as Jacob had promised, and after buying their tickets, the teens found themselves enchanted by the snack selection. Jacob and Quil stared at each and every candy bar in the case, and Aria stood in awe of the popcorn seasoning station. After far too much time was spent picking things out, the three landed in their seats in the theater.

Aria sat in between Quil and Jacob- exactly where she wanted to be- and sat patiently throughout the movie.

When the movie came to an end, they expected to have text messages from Embry waiting on their phones.

But there were none.

Embry didn't contact them for the remainder of winter break


	8. The Drama Queen

They were worried when Embry didn't text for a day or so. They were just shy of terrified when they couldn't get a hold of him for the remainder of winter break. But when they came back to school and saw what he turned into? It was like seeing a dead man walking.

"He'll be here today, right?" Aria chattered, walking into the school in between Quil and Jacob. She looked to both of them for reassurance, her eyes wide.

They both shrugged.

She sighed.

"I just don't understand, I mean, it's _Embry_. That's like my brother pulling this, that's like," she paused, her mouth falling slightly agape, her eyes growing wider, "… that's like Arto." She fell silent before looking to Jacob, "You don't think that…?"

He pursed his lips.

They arrived at Aria's locker- she was the only one of them who really used hers, and the boys simply tossed a book or two in hers if the need arose.

Something in the halls wasn't right that day; something was entirely off. People were looking to them with suspicious and curious glances, and the voices seemed more hushed than usual. Quil was the first to notice this, his eyes wandering around with curiosity, an eyebrow quirking.

"Hey guys," he poked at Jacob's arm, "do you notice something, I don't know," he scratched at the back of his head, "do you feel like something's off today?"

Aria and Jacob stared at him for a minute, following his eyes around the halls and noticing the peculiar behavior taking place.

"I don't know, man, I guess so, but…" Jacob's mouth fell open mid-sentence.

Quil and Aria followed his glance.

Their mouths fell open as well.

Marching down the hallway, flanked by Jared Cameron and Paul Lahote, and led by Arto, was what one could possibly recognize as Embry Call; it wasn't really him, though.

It couldn't be.

This person was taller than Embry ever was, and he was ions bulkier and more muscular than Embry could've ever dreamed of being. The baby fat on his cheeks was gone, replaced by a sharp jaw and jagged cheekbones. His hair was still longer than Jared and Paul's, but it definitely wasn't by much.

He walked with large strides, his chin dipped down, his eyes glued to the floor in front of him. The others stuck close, their eyes tiny slits, staring and glaring at anyone who seemed to look for too long.

"What the hell?" Quil whipped around to Aria and Jacob, his eyes just as wide and distraught as theirs. Neither of them moved.

Aria stared with a combination of astonishment and fear. What could this possibly mean? She couldn't stop the images of her brother before and after his disappearance from flashing through her mind, and then Embry's joined them. They swirled wildly, making her feel lightheaded and queasy. Something was _wrong_.

While Aria stared in fear, Jacob stared with pure disgust and hatred. His _best friend_ would turn his back on them just like Arto had? He was a coward. Jacob glared at him. As if he felt the hatred oozing in his direction, Embry made the mistake of looking up and meeting his stare. He immediately recovered from the mistake and shot his eyes back to his shoes. Jacob swore he heard a growl.

" _Guys_ ," Quil emphasized, smacking Aria's arm, "Jesus, guys, what the hell is up with that?"

Aria turned to him, her eyebrows crunched together, her bottom lip jutting out slightly. "It's just like Arto." She mumbled, shaking her head.

The warning bell rang.

"That bastard." Jacob stormed off to homeroom.

For a moment, Quil and Aria simply stared at where he stood just moments before. They looked at one another and sighed in unison.

The halls were growing quiet.

Quil cast an arm around Aria's shoulders, pulling her closer and rubbing her arm, "It's alright, princess," they began walking, "it's all going to be alright."

Aria couldn't decide if he was trying to convince her or himself.

* * *

Days passed, and there was still nothing from Embry. He turned the cold shoulder whenever someone would approach him, he kept his head down, and he only spoke to Jared and Paul. That was when he was even in school, though, for most of the time, he skipped.

"So, you guys will never guess who asked me to hangout yesterday."

Jacob was working on his car some more, half of his body rolled under its belly. Quil leaned against a large toolbox, and Aria sprawled herself out across the makeshift couch. They looked to one another with raised eyebrows and shrugged, Jacob taking their silence as an invitation to continue on.

"Bella."

They could hear the smirk in his voice.

Aria felt her stomach clench.

Quil's eyebrows shot up.

"Bella Swan? Little Miss Depression, Bella Swan?" Quil teased, Aria shooting him an enthusiastic nod of agreement.

"You guys aren't funny; Bella went through a nasty breakup. You wouldn't understand."

Quil sarcastically guffawed, disgusted at what Jacob was saying. He looked to Aria as she scrunched her entire face together, clearly in disgust as well.

"With that ridiculous remark, I'm going home." Aria bitterly chuckled, standing up and brushing herself off. She began towards the door, and Jacob unrolled himself from underneath the car.

"Oh my God, Aria, don't be such a drama queen."

She stopped in her tracks, turning around and squinting at him with surprise.

"Are you kidding?" She giggled, looking to Quil with raised eyebrows.

Jacob stared at her, shoulders slouched with discomfort.

"That's ridiculous," she shook her head, a strained smile still playing on her lips, "I'm not the one who locked myself in my room for however many months now because a freak broke up with me. I'm not the drama queen in your life."

She stormed out of his garage and began trudging through the snow to her house.

Jacob looked to Quil for support, yet he was met with only pursed lips.

"You too?" Jacob asked, his arms gesturing wildly.

Quil slowly stood up, stretching out his shoulders and sighing, "Listen man," he shook his head, "I don't know about this. I think I'm with Ari." He waved an awkward goodbye and began jogging to catch up with Aria.

She huffed as he fell into pace with her, sparing him a mere glance out of the corner of her eye. They neared her house and wordlessly hopped up the front steps, the warmth of her home engulfing them the moment that they entered.

Ava and April sat on the couch, a book in Ava's hand as April flipped through the movies on Netflix.

"You guys wanna watch something with me?" She looked to them quickly, taking note of Aria's clenched jaw.

"No."

"Shit, okay."

Aria stormed up to her room, Quil hot on her heels as she slammed the door behind them both.

"Can you believe him? _Me_ , a drama queen? You know I'm not a drama queen, don't you?"

Quil took a seat on the foot of her bed, nodding as she paced with anger.

"I also know that you're mostly upset because another girl is getting Jacob's attention." Quil shrugged, dropping back to lay across her bed, casually crossing his arms behind his head. She stopped pacing.

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is." Quil effortlessly shot back. "It's been like this since we were kids. Jake's your favorite; Embry and I aren't blind. You've been in love with him since we were, like, six." He shrugged, his eyes shut as Aria stared at him.

The room fell silent.

"You're an idiot. That's not true." Aria plopped down beside him, shoving his shoulder as she mirrored his position.

"Whatever you say, princess."

* * *

Aria couldn't shake the feeling of discomfort that had permanently settled into her being; it was as if she could feel something bad brewing. The idea of Jacob spending time with a girl other than her _did_ bother her more than she would've liked to admit, especially to Quil. She would never hear the end of it if she admitted he was right, but he was. Sadly, though, Jacob spending time with Bella Swan was the least of her issues, and that bothered her just as much. Arto was never home, and when he was, he very rarely spoke to anyone. And then there was Embry: one of her very dearest childhood friends who was following the same mysterious path that her big brother had.

A few weeks had passed, and Quil and Aria had been seeing less and less of Jacob. He spent nearly all of his time with Bella.

"And then there were two." Aria sourly joked, giggling slightly and sliding an iced tea across her kitchen table to Quil. He chuckled and smiled, twisting open the tea and taking a sip.

"You know," he breathed out, "I'm not digging the whole 'abandon Ari and Quil' thing, but I'm glad I've been abandoned with you."

Aria stared at him for a moment, a nervous giggle escaping past her lips to draw out the time, "Yeah, it could be worse." She decided to brush off his comment and continue on her homework.

"No Jake today?" Naomi asked, entering the kitchen and looking around.

Aria rolled her eyes and shook her head, an inaudible grumble slipping out. Quil chuckled and looked up to meet Naomi's eyes, "He's with Bella again," he explained. She nodded and looked to her daughter sadly.

"Well," her eyes lit up once more, "I'll start dinner. Quil, staying?"

"Yes please."

* * *

"Alright, I know that you guys don't really like her," Jacob began, Aria and Quil simultaneously quirking their eyebrows at his statement, "but Bells and I are going to test out the bikes we've been working on. You guys wanna come?"

Aria tried to hold in the fit of giggles that was threatening to fly from her lips. Quil watched her with delight in his eyes, laughter blowing from his mouth the moment that she lost control. Jacob looked to them in distaste, his nose crinkling as he shook his head with disappointment.

"Are you kidding?"

They laughed harder.

"It's not funny, okay? I like her and I want my best friends to like her too."

Aria could've thrown up. She stopped laughing abruptly. Her fun was over. Quil immediately took notice of her issue, and his laughter slowed down until they could both only stare at Jacob.

"Sorry, man, I think we're going to have to pass on this one." Quil shrugged, patting Aria's shoulder.

Jacob shook his head.


	9. The Inconvenient Illness

**Hi everyone! Wow. I cannot believe I let myself get so far behind on my stories. My only excuse is college, but that's a really bad excuse. I've definitely gotten a handle on things, though, and I've really been missing writing, so I'm ready to dive right back in!**

 **I actually found the beginning of this chapter on a file in my computer and decided to finish what I had gotten started! Thank you all for being the best ever and being patient with me! Here's to more of Unhinged!**

* * *

Knowing that Jacob was spending nearly every day with Bella Swan bothered Aria more than it should've. A lot more. She found the very thought of him glancing at another girl for too long to be upsetting at best. But why then? She had suffered in silence since she was a child, for Christ's sake, so why was it all closing in on her then?

"Hey Ari, want to head out to Port Angeles this weekend for that new movie?" Quil bounded towards her locker, eyebrow quirked and grin intact. His eyes searched her face with curiosity, and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Facepunch? That new one?" She shut her locker, leaning her weight on one foot and raising an eyebrow.

He nodded.

Her nose crinkled.

"How would we get there?"

"April," he shrugged casually, "I asked her last night at dinner."

Aria laughed out loud, turning to him sharply, "Quil!"

He continued on, not even sparing her a second glance, "I want to go to the later showing though, and April's 18, so she can definitely bring us."

"Where's Ape bringing us?"

The duo turned to the familiar face, their eyes lighting up as they came to meet Jacob's playful smile. Aria felt her heart flutter.

"The movies this weekend!" Quil chimed, Jacob's steps falling in-sync with theirs. He pursed his lips.

"Oh," Aria felt a lump form as he continued, "Bells and I actually have plans this weekend."

Aria found her feet moving quicker, taking the corner sharply and propelling herself ahead of the guys. Her hair flowed behind her as she hurried to her classroom, Quil's face dropping as he watched her go.

Jacob faced him, eyebrow cocked and arm gesturing towards where Aria had disappeared from.

"What's up with her?"

Quil brought his attention back to Jacob's face, lips pursed and eyes landing anywhere but Jacob's. He shrugged, "I dunno, man. Have fun."

And he was gone too.

* * *

"Art, I just asked if you wanted to come to the movies! Jesus." April yelled, shaking her head and glaring at her twin. He glared back in annoyance, Aria and Quil staring in shock.

"Well clearly I don't have time to go watch some dumb movie." He stormed out the back door, the cold air invading the warm home and making Aria shiver.

April kept her back to them for a moment, her form visibly quivering for a moment as she inhaled sharply. She turned to them slowly, a tight grin forming, "You guys ready?"

The ride to Port Angeles was nearly silent, the atmosphere still tense from April and Arto's quarrel. As much as it shouldn't have bothered Aria, it did. The twins had never fought, even when they were children; it was simply unheard of. Ever since Arto had, changed, though, it was different. They fought nearly every time that Arto was home- even though that wasn't very frequent.

"Can we just share a popcorn?" Aria turned to Quil with big eyes, a smile growing on his lips as he nodded, his smile broadening as hers formed.

The three made their way into the theater, Aria finding herself comfortably nestled in-between her sister and Quil. The lights dimmed, the movie began, and Quil and Aria began fighting over their popcorn.

"Stop," she whispered, "you're going to eat it all," giggling and pushing his hand away from the container. He chuckled and leaned towards her, eyes narrowing as he shoved his hand in for another handful. She stared pointedly at him, smirks gracing their faces as they sat in close proximity.

"Hey is that Jake?"

April's hushed voice broke the moment, their faces snapping to face the direction that hers was.

And there was Jacob.

Seated directly beside Bella Swan.

"No," the word barely passed by her lips before she was out of her seat and fleeing to the lobby.

She heard Quil's hurried shuffle as he got up to follow, his steps heavy behind her.

"Ari," he called, his voice almost desperate as he chased her. He rounded a corner and found her small form on a set of carpeted stairs, knees pulled up to her chest. He sighed.

"Ari," his voice was softer this time, kneeling down in front of her. She met his eyes, green pools filled to the rim with threatening tears.

"I just don't get it," she whispered, shaking her head. She aggressively rubbed at her eyes, angry at the audacity of the tears. She hated crying, and even more than that, she hated crying in front of her boys. She never wanted to be the cry-baby.

"Listen," Quil sighed, his hand cautiously reaching for hers, "Jake's an idiot for not wanting you."

She swallowed hard and felt herself growing rigid. She didn't like the way Quil was looking at her. His fingers shakily grasped at her own, and she felt herself subconsciously pulling her hands into her lap.

She tried not to look at him.

He searched for her gaze.

"You're amazing, Ari, and I-"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

"You- what?"

Quil's eyes widened and he visibly shifted backwards.

"Yup," Aria nodded quickly, "we should go home."

"But the movie just started."

Aria stood up and brushed past him, her head shaking back and forth, "Yeah, I know, but." She shrugged, "can you go get Ape?"

They stood and stared at each other. She could see that dejected look in his eyes, and for a moment, that look convinced her that she might actually be sick.

What was Quil even trying to pull back there?

Her head was spinning.

He stared at her with that same dumb look.

"Please go get April." She pleaded, her teeth finding her bottom lip as she turned away from him.

The ride back to La Push was even quieter than the ride to the movies had been. Aria couldn't bring herself to turn around and look at Quil in the backseat, she could already practically feel his eyes through the back of her headrest.

She couldn't stop the scene from replaying in her head.

She wasn't a stranger to physical contact with the boys, they had been hugging her and picking her up for as long as she could remember. But Quil reaching for her hand made every hair on her body stand on edge. It was Quil, for heaven's sake.

She could've kissed April on the mouth when the car finally stopped in front of Quil's house.

"Bye Ari, I'll see you tomorrow?" He leaned into the front seat with hopeful eyes, April's harsh stare turning towards him in surprise.

Aria coughed, turning her face away, "Uh, yeah, maybe," she babbled, "I might stay home, I don't know." She giggled nervously.

The car fell silent.

"Feel better."

He shut his door.

"What the hell was that about?" April asked, an eyebrow nearly reaching her hairline.

Aria breathed out a burst of air she didn't even know she had been holding, "April, I have no idea. Shit got weird out in the lobby, I don't know what's going on."

April stared forward as she finished the short route to their house. She blew out from her teeth.

"Wow, I thought my life was getting weird."


	10. The Look

By the time Monday morning came around, Aria still wasn't sure if she could handle what might await her at school. Embry was gone, Jacob's chatter about Bella Swan was never-ending, and who was to say what Quil might be like after the scene at the movie theater? Aria still couldn't wrap her head around any of it.

When Tuesday came, things didn't get any better.

Apparently, Jacob had also been too "sick" to come to school on Monday.

And Tuesday.

Quil had been leaning against her locker as she approached, a nearly-sick feeling raising in her throat. He looked up to her hopefully, waiting until she had reached him to speak.

"Ari, hey, are you feeling better?"

She felt the guilt wash over her.

"Yeah, I guess so." She shrugged.

He stepped aside so she could get into her locker.

"I guess you're taking it better than Jake, he's still out sick."

Aria faced him with alarm, eyebrows raised.

"He's not…" Her words fell away as Paul Lahote passed by them, daggers shooting out the sides of his eyes.

He was alone.

No Jared, no Arto, no Embry, and alarmingly, no Jacob either.

The warning bell rang and suddenly the hallway came to life again. Aria shut her locker and began towards homeroom.

"So, about the movies the other night," Quil fell into step with her, eyebrows scrunched together as he stared at her profile. She looked towards him briefly before her eyes shot back to the hallway ahead of her.

She couldn't have that talk with him.

"It's nothing," she shrugged, "we don't have to talk about it or anything-"

"But I want to."

They stopped in front of Aria's homeroom. She was forced to look him in the eyes.

"Listen, I know Jake totally ignored your feelings, but I won't, I really-"

"Quil," she heard the whininess in her voice and was ashamed. Her parents always scolded her and her siblings for whining.

He raised his eyebrows.

The bell rang.

"Please don't." Her voice dropped, and she ducked into her classroom. She couldn't have the conversation with him that she knew was coming.

* * *

"Hey Dad?" Aria called out. She closed the front door behind her, Ava scurrying off to her room and April lingering beside her.

She would never call any attention to it, but April had been spending nearly every free moment with Aria. And when she wasn't with Aria, she was with Leah.

Her father rounded the corner, smiling at his oldest daughters, "What's up, baby girl?"

"Has Billy mentioned anything about Jacob being sick?"

Michael's lips fell into a thin line, and he slowly shook his head, "Nope, haven't heard anything about it."

Aria sighed.

* * *

The week came and went, and Jacob hadn't returned to school. Conversations with Quil had grown awkward and dry, and though Aria felt awful about it, she wasn't exactly sure how to make things right. She couldn't just sit back and let him ruin their friendship, he was essentially all she had left, especially considering Jacob's newfound absence.

Just when she thought her life couldn't get any weirder, Bella Swan knocked on her front door.

She was still in her pajamas, a pair of raggedy gray sweatpants and her hair dangling off the side of her head in what was once a bun. She rubbed a hand down the side of her face as she opened the door, her eyes immediately widening as the pale stranger stared back at her.

"Bella! Uh," she looked around her house, her family going about their Saturday morning routines, "wow, hi?"

"Hi," Bella mumbled, her eyes casting downwards.

Michael Clearwater came to the door, his eyebrows raising with his suspicions.

"Bella Swan…" he murmured. She met his eyes for only a moment before he wandered back to the breakfast table.

"Uh," Aria mumbled, pursing her lips.

"Can I talk to you? Outside?"

Aria bit her lip, but she found herself slowly nodding. She knew it had to be about Jacob.

She followed Bella onto the front porch, plopping down on the steps and sighing. Bella stood awkwardly beside her, seemingly unable to meet her curious stare.

"What's going on with Jacob?"

"I have no idea."

"You're lying."

Aria was taken back not only by the confidence in her voice but the fact that she called her a liar. Aria didn't lie.

"Uhm," she breathed out of her nose sharply and cocking her head, "I'm not lying. I haven't seen him."

Bella stared at her for another moment, searching for any sign that she was making it up. And by the sadness lacing her odd, green eyes, she wasn't. She sighed.

"Is he a part of Sam Uley's gang now too?"

Aria inhaled sharply and looked to Bella in distress, an eyebrow cocking, "What did you just say?"

Bella fidgeted uncomfortably underneath Aria's sharp eyes, "Well, that's what Jake always called them before, and when I brought Quil home last night, he mentioned that he thought that was what happened, and I just figured you would know, or, I don't know, because… your brother?"

Her voice faded away with trepidation, knowing it must be a sensitive subject for Aria.

And it was.

"Wow, uhm," Aria pursed her lips, shaking her head, "Yeah." She finally nodded, tongue situating itself in the side of her lips, "That's what it's called around here."

The girls fell silent as reality set in once more.

Jacob had, indeed, joined Sam Uley's "gang," alongside her brother and Embry.

When school came around again on Monday morning, Jacob's chopped hair and tribal tattoo confirmed it.

Quil and Aria stood by her locker, mindlessly chattering about their plans for the upcoming spring break.

"I think we're still gonna go camping with Seth and Leah, so obviously you can come too," Aria suggested, Quil smiling as she placed the last of her books in the locker for the morning.

"Awh sick," Quil nodded, "ya know, Seth is really turning into a pretty cool kid, he even…" his voice died inside his throat, eyes landing on the newest edition to Jared and Paul's hall monitors on steroids.

"Oh my God… Ari," his hand found her arm and she turned, eyes locking on the being before her.

Jacob had always been beautiful in Aria's eyes, a work of art, even. She loved his courage, his kindness, his lightheartedness, his smile, everything. And she loved his long hair- he did too.

But now his hair was chopped off, just like Embry's and Arto's, and there was no sign that a smile had graced his full lips in a very long time. It didn't even look like him, but Aria could find Jacob in a crowded room with a blindfold on, if she had to, and unfortunately, this was him.

The group of guys was passing by where Quil and Aria stood, the latter two staring at them with a swirling mixture of fear, sadness, and unease.

And then Jacob made the mistake of looking up, his eyes meeting Aria's.

And in that moment, their worlds got weirder than anyone could've ever imagined.


	11. The Growl

**Hi everyone! I know that I just put up a new chapter the other day, but I'm just so excited about where we're getting that I couldn't stop! Sooo, happy early Halloween with another new chapter!**

 **Thank you, as always, for all of your feedback!**

* * *

Saying that the following chain of events was dismal would've been an understatement.

The group had stopped moving, Jacob frozen in place as he seemingly stared into Aria's soul. She felt chills run down her spine and could foggily hear Quil mumbling her name in question, but staring into the chocolate pools she had had a crush on since she was six years old was deemed far more important in her mind.

"Jacob," Jared yanked his arm back, pulling his eyes from Aria and onto himself. He began whispering to him, the others listening closely in.

All at once, Arto had Jacob by the shoulders and pinned against a row of lockers just a few down from Aria's.

She heard herself gasp and began to take a step forward, Quil's arm immediately reaching out and grabbing her, holding her in place.

"Are you kidding me?" Arto screamed, his face mere centimeters from Jacob's, "My sister?"

Aria felt the blood draining from her face as she stared in shock. What could she possibly have to do with this?

Quil kept a firm grasp on her, and the entire hallway had frozen, everyone stopping to see what fight was going on.

"Arto, not here, man," Embry stepped forward, his eyes flittering to Aria for only a second before back to their shaking forms.

Jacob pushed Arto backwards, breathing deeply through his nose and staring daggers at him, "You think I wanted that to happen?" He challenged, shaking his head, "Everything is ruined now," he spat, storming down the hallway and out the double-doors.

Aria's eyes went to her brother, somehow meeting his just in time. He sighed as they stared at each other, a look of sadness crossing his face and leaving just as quickly as it came.

"I'm sorry, Ari," he mumbled, taking off down the hallway and out the doors Jacob had just gone through.

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes following him as he left before coming to Embry. He grinned half-heartedly at her before pursing his lips and leaving for his homeroom.

"Ari…" Quil's voice brought her back down to earth as the hallway grew alive once more, and she turned to face him, eyebrows scrunched together.

Without a word, she felt herself launching her body against his for a hug, breathing in his safe and familiar scent and feeling his arms come around to hold her together. She couldn't even describe the feeling that had settled in her stomach, daring to make her sick and crush her ribs or suffocate her lungs, or maybe even all of that. Everything that had happened over the last couple of months seemed to come crashing down on her in that moment, and Quil was seemingly the only steady thing in her life anymore. He was grounding her to earth.

Her family was falling apart, Arto now rarely ever seen unless it was to grab a spare shirt- one that April hadn't snuck into her own drawer. April wandered around the house, once a loud a boisterous, dramatic, bossy creature, now a mere shell of herself covered in her estranged twin's clothes that he couldn't fit in anymore. It seemed like her parents were always busy with the council, so she or April ended up making dinner most nights. And whoever didn't have to make dinner had to get Ava ready for bed. Arto was gone, Embry was gone, Jacob was gone, and now there was something else wrong that somehow had to do with her?

The warning bell rang, and she held onto Quil for just a moment more, sucking in the softness of his sweater and the firmness in his hold before she pulled away, embarrassingly wiping away the tears that had managed to sneak out.

"Thanks," she mumbled, pulling her bookbag closer to her body and spinning on her heels to head towards homeroom.

* * *

The day seemed never-ending, and by the time she and April got home, she nearly cried out of gratitude for the day being over.

"Leah just had to bring Seth and his friends home, but she'll be here in a minute," April told her, tossing her bookbag at the foot of the steps.

For the first time in her life, Aria felt like she was a part of Leah and April's friendship. It felt foreign to her to be considered one of them, but with everything being all out of whack, she couldn't complain about the solace she was finding in them.

Participating in actual "girl-talk" was even more foreign and frightening than actually hanging out with the older girls.

"And I remember one time, Sam and I thought we were home alone, we're in bed, and all of a sudden, mom and Seth bust through the door with a bag of chips or some dumb shit," Leah laughed, throwing her head back and clapping her hands together, "I was grounded for two weeks or something, I don't even remember." April laughed along with her, Aria sitting beside them yet feeling as if she was in another world.

"Remember when I dated Kyle Conweller?"

Leah nodded in response to April.

"Yeah, literally almost the exact same thing, only it was my dad, and Ava."

Leah nearly fell off the bed with laughter, but Aria couldn't help the tilting of her head, "When did that happen?"

April jokingly rolled her eyes, "You were probably with the boys or something."

"Speaking of Aria's boys," Leah interjected, eyes flickering to Aria, "what happened this morning with Jacob Black and Arto?" She looked back and forth between the sisters, Aria sucking her bottom lip and April raising her eyebrows quickly before also turning her attention to Aria.

"I don't know, Lee," Aria shrugged, somehow feeling self-conscious under her eyes.

"What happened?" April asked, scooting closer.

"Arto lost his shit on Jacob Black, I guess, knocked him into a locker, screaming something about 'my sister,' I don't even know. And then they both left."

Aria hadn't even noticed Leah was around to see what happened.

"That's so weird! Weird for them, even." Leah nodded in agreement with April, and the two flung themselves into another conversation.

Aria stood up from her seat on the living room floor, wandering into the bathroom in search of motrin or Tylenol, or anything really to settle her stomach. She inwardly scolded herself for having pretended to be sick the previous week, now feeling like her stomach was winding itself into one big knot.

* * *

Jacob didn't return to school for the rest of the week. Consequently, that same knot that had lodged itself in the center of Aria's being managed to stick around while he was gone. When she had mentioned it to her mother, she had merely sighed and pursed her lips, shrugging and saying she'd make her soup for dinner and tea to go with her breakfast.

Aria knew she was delirious for even thinking that that might help, but she also knew that Naomi knew that just as well as she did.

Having a somewhat consistent "group" so-to-say definitely made it a little easier to get through the days. Seth, Leah, and Quil came over to be with her and April nearly every day after school, and all three of them spent the weekend there, too.

"Bullshitttt," Quil drew out the word, shaking his head while laughter poured out, "there's no way you guys have never gotten trashed at First Beach. Everyone has."

"I don't know who 'everyone' is, Quil," Leah snorted, "but we haven't."

"Have you?" April challenged, her eyes turning playfully menacing.

It was moments like these that Aria could see remnants of the old April and Leah, the ones before Arto and Sam had gone off the deep-end.

"Uh, yeah! I have." Quil smirked, tossing an arm around Aria's shoulders, "with Aria and the guys."

Leah and April's mouths dropped into perfect circles, looking to one another briefly before turning back to the others.

"No way! Aria, when did you become so bad?" April teased, wiggling her eyebrows and lightly shoving at the younger girl.

Aria giggled and shook her head, pushing herself away from Quil and mock-glaring at him, "You can't go telling my sister all these secrets about me!" she squealed, Quil's face lighting up with delight.

She turned back to her sister and Leah, "and it was only one time!"

"Yeah," Quil snorted, "only because her and Embry are lightweights and ruin all the fun." He rolled his eyes. The older girls and Seth erupted in laughter.

The slamming of the front door drew them out of their world, all of their eyes coming to land on Arto's looming figure in the doorway. While everyone's eyes seemed to be glued to him, it was only Aria who received his full attention. His eyes bore holes into her face, and she felt uncomfortable beneath his stare.

"Stay away from Black."

He pointed an accusatory finger at her and spoke from deep within his chest. Had she not been so shocked by his words, she might've even laughed at the poor imitation of bravado he had no-doubt picked up from one of the other guys.

"He doesn't speak to me anymore, so, no worries there." She shrugged, pulling her eyes from him and onto the floor. She pulled her knees up to her chest to rest her chin upon. She still couldn't believe those words were coming from her mouth.

"Good. Keep it that way."

"Arto," Michael clicked his tongue at his son, shaking his head and plopping a hand on the teenager's shoulder as he came from behind him, "you know that's not how it works."

Arto stared at him with a fury no one had ever seen before. Even after this life-altering change he had underwent, he still seemed to love and respect his father. In that moment, though, it seemed as if every ounce of that was out the window.

"It's bullshit." Arto grumbled, shoving past his father and out the front door.

"And they're planning on hunting them, how barbaric is that? I mean, they're just…" Naomi's voice fell away as she was met with everyone's stares.

"… kids." Sue finished for her.

She nodded grimly.

* * *

Just when Aria thought she was falling into a comfortable, new way of life, Jacob Black growled in the cafeteria.

It had started off relatively normal- as "normal" as Aria could say her life was. She and Quil sat at their lonely lunch table, Aria babbling about all the things that had to get done before spring break and before their camping trip.

"And we told Seth that he can't just bring one change of clothes, but he's in that weird, gross guy phase right now, just like when we were younger and you guys suddenly forgot what a shower or a bar of soap was, but that's whatever," she giggled, "and…" her lips shut, her head tilting.

"Hey…" she watched him carefully, his elbows propping up his hands which held up his face. He wasn't even looking at her.

"Quil," she grabbed his hand, taking it into her own and nearly jumping back at the heat radiating off of him, "do you feel alright?"

He stared back at her with glossy eyes, his eyebrows scrunched together in concern as the sweat pooled above them. He slowly shook his head. He felt awful.

She released his hand and brought the back of her own to rest on his forehead, grimacing, before bringing it down to cup his cheek.

"You need to go to the nurse and go home, Quil, I-"

And then a growl rippled through the cafeteria so loud it nearly made the tables rattle.

The room fell silent.

Aria and Quil turned to the source of it.

And there, across the cafeteria, stood Jacob Black, eyes ablaze, every muscle in his body flexed as he stared at them.

The knot in Aria's stomach tightened.

"Woah, woah, woah," Jared called, himself and Embry leaping from their seats and surrounding Jacob, pushing back at his chest, whispering to him.

By the time they had shoved him out the doors, Quil had dropped his head back into his hands. With a moment more of convincing from Aria, and the promise that she'd be over to see him after school, Quil went to the nurse and his parents were called to come pick him up.

But when Aria chipperly knocked on his front door after school, his father told her that he was too sick for any visitors.


	12. The Storm

**Here we areee! I've been so excited to post this! Enjoy!**

* * *

Spring break began, and there was still no word from Quil.

Aria couldn't describe the feelings that had shrouded her being, twisting tighter and tighter around her throat and ribs until she felt she was going to crack and shatter and turn to dust. It felt as if each day the tendrils restricted her a little more and would one day just snap. The knot in her stomach had been replaced by an empty pit, her throat burned, her head ached, the corners of her eyes prickled with tears daring to drop at any given moment.

She missed hearing Arto laughing with April, and she missed seeing him come in the front door covered in sawdust after helping their father split wood, sweat slicking back his hair but a proud grin on his happy face. She missed lounging on Jacob's makeshift couch with Embry as Quil and Jacob worked beneath a car, listening to him wistfully describe what he imagined his father might've been like and the things they might've done together, had he even known who he was. She missed packing intricate yet peculiar lunches with Jacob and heading off to the cliffs or through the woods or up a mountain and spending the day finding new places to fall in love with him. And now, more than anything, she missed singing with Quil in the backseat of Jacob's rabbit, sledding with him down the biggest hill they could find and being surprised when they wiped out and ended up in a pile of limbs and laughter, and choking on blueberries trying to see who could fit more in their mouth.

She longed for the days of trying to squeeze together on her couch and ending up just laying across the boys, for the days of getting tackled into the sand on First Beach by any one of the guys after being forced into a game of football "just to make it even," even for the days of being tossed into the freezing cold ocean on the first day of spring because "there's only so many days you can spend in the water."

Never had she felt so confused or deserted in her whole life.

Never had she felt so helpless, so stupid, so clueless.

What was even going on?

Quil and her had promised each other that they would never flake out on each other, that even if everything and everyone else went to shit, they'd stay together. She snorted just thinking about it.

Was it some joke they were playing? Had their whole lives been spent fooling her into that very situation? How could they all be so okay for just abandoning her? They had seen how poorly Arto doing it had affected her family, so how could they just follow in his footsteps?

And what did Sam Uley have to do with it all?

Sure, he had broken off the engagement with Leah and broken up with her, but guys flaked out of relationships all the time, even the best ones. So why was the talk of the reservation now that he was some gang leader recruiting young boys for his cult? And even if he was, which Aria highly doubted, why would her boys fall into it when they had spoken so against it?

None of it made sense. Nothing made sense anymore.

* * *

"Hey mom, where's the extra tent? We all want our own for the trip, and we're just missing one, so," Leah rounded the corner into the kitchen, April and Aria in-tow, their eyes all looking to Sue.

She sucked her lips in and sighed, slowly shaking her head, "I'm sorry, babe, you'll have to ask your dad."

"Okay, where is he?"

Sue's face paled.

The room fell silent.

"Mom?"

Sue sighed again, her eyes flittering about the room, looking for something to busy her hands with, "He's just at a doctor's appointment, he'll be home soon."

Leah gulped, "A doctor's appointment for what?"

Aria and April looked to one another with alarm.

"Lee, you know daddy has a bad heart, and you know he doesn't eat like someone with a bad heart should, it's probably just a routine 'fix your diet' sorta thing." Sue babbled on, seemingly trying to convince herself just as much as the girls.

Leah wasn't pleased with her answer.

They decided to settle with three tents, Leah and April would share one.

Driving out to their camping spot was weird without Arto behind the wheel. Watching April become the primary driver was something no one expected to happen, the Clearwater girls not being strong drivers.

"Is that Bella Swan's truck?" Aria found her voice from the backseat, her fingertip jamming against the cool window. April slowed down as the four all peered out at Jacob's house.

"Sure looks it to me," Seth absentmindedly mumbled, his words triggering another twist of Aria's tendrils.

"That little twerk can hang out with Bella Swan and not with you? Ridiculous, what an ass." Leah sneered, rolling down the window and shoving her middle finger out it, "Screw you all!" She screamed, her face suddenly red with anger, " _Screw_. _You_!"

April's eyes widened for a moment before she pressed her foot back down on the gas, jolting them forwards and continuing down the road.

No one spoke of Leah's outburst.

Setting up their tents without Arto's help was certainly harder than expected. What would've taken him a half an hour turned into nearly two, and they were silently thankful they had ended up with only three tents to wrestle with rather than four.

The Clearwater cousin camping trip had started off as a way for their parents to get them all out of the house together when they were younger and ended up being one of the highlights of the year. They spent weeks gathering food for the occasion, primarily focusing on getting enough smores ingredients to stop Aria and Seth from fighting over them by the end of the night.

The day carried on and fell into night, and while they had fun, no one could deny that this year was different. Not good different- bad different.

Aria wrapped herself in the blanket from her tent, watching with careful eyes as Seth roasted a marshmallow for her, "Careful you don't burn it, it'll be garbage if I see even one black mark."

"Aye aye, Captain," he chuckled, mock-saluting her before turning back to the stick in his hand.

"Aye aye, Captain," she grumbled out, twisting up her face to mock him.

The night carried on, and while Aria would never get sick of Leah and April's combined efforts to recite the old legends as good as Billy Black did, she couldn't help but miss her boys more and more. As everyone began to yawn and get ready to go to bed, she longed for the times when all three boys insisted on cramming themselves in the tent with her, and while she may have grumbled and complained, she had loved every last moment of it.

They said their goodnights and crawled into their respective tents, and while Aria yawned nearly once every three minutes, she couldn't force her eyes to shut or for her dreams to overcome her. Instead, she listened to the night, to the waves crashing against the cliffs nearby, to the newly awakened bugs, the chipmunks chattering, the heavy breathing of a large animal nearby.

She gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth, rolling to her right side where the breathing was coming from.

It stopped.

It knew she knew.

After waiting five minutes in that same position, she decided that if she was going to die, she was going to bring Seth down with her.

In one quick motion, she unzipped her tent door, leapt out of it, sprinted the five feet to Seth's tent, her own blanket wrapped around her like a cocoon, and flung herself into it, on top of his sleeping form.

"Jesus, Aria, what are you doing?" He cursed, eyes flying open in distress. She smacked a hand over his mouth and brought a finger to her lips.

"There's something near my tent. Something big." She whispered, eyes wide.

"So you decided to lead it to _my_ tent?" He whined. She nodded quickly. He sighed and laid back down, wiggling himself to one direction, "come on, lay down."

She grinned in triumph and plopped beside him, tucking her chilly feet beneath his legs.

She couldn't ignore the burning heat that radiated off of him and over to her. But by then, she was too tired to pay closer attention, and the heat calmed her enough to sleep.

* * *

After being called a crazy woman for mentioning the animal outside her tent, Aria kept her mouth shut.

By the time they headed home, she had nearly convinced herself that she made it all up in some stress-induced, sleep-deprived delirium.

She would've taken another million episodes like that if it meant avoiding what the teens would come home to.

They parted ways, each set of cousins going to their respective homes. Naomi had hot tea made for the girls when they walked in the door, a calm smile on her face despite the pounding rain on the roof. They joined Ava at the table, Aria casually tucking her feet beneath her as the steam kissed her face.

Naomi's heart was content as she looked at her daughters, though she couldn't help but long for her son to be there too.

"Mom?" Aria began, her bottom lip falling victim to her nervous teeth.

Naomi raised an eyebrow.

"What's happening to all our boys? Why are they leaving us?"

Naomi's face paled.

"Ari…" she ran a tender hand down the length of Aria's hair, "they're just growing up. Boys are weird like that and act weird like that."

"Well what about Sam Uley? He's been 'grown up' for longer, but this stuff is new." April cut in, hers and Aria's eyes staring deeply at their mother's face.

"Sam and the boys have just been helping out the council with security stuff, just keeping the reservation safe." Naomi casually shrugged, sipping her tea.

"Like Taha Aki and the spirit warriors!" Ava chimed, a proud smile on her little lips.

Naomi choked on her tea.

The front door flew open.

Michael's dripping form stumbled into the house, his eyes flying wildly to Naomi, "We have to go, now." The words spewed from his mouth, something flashing- pain flashing across his face and leaving as quickly as it had come.

She set her cup on the table, instinctively reaching towards her jacket on the chair and beginning towards the door.

"Dad? What's-"

"Not now, Ape." His voice cracked.

And then they were gone.

The girls sat in near-silence, the rain seeming to roar as it hit the roof. The storm had cut their camping trip short.

Carrying out the rest of their afternoons seemed wrong. Something was _wrong._

"Girls?"

Arto's voice, though something so foreign, carried throughout the small house with ease. April and Aria met him in the kitchen.

His eyes were puffy.

"Arto, what…"

He cut off April's words as he wrapped her in an embrace, seeming always afraid to even touch her.

"Ari, go get Ava, would you?" He spoke into April's hair. Aria did as she was asked.

They followed him to the truck without question, even got in and buckled themselves in as he began to drive down the road. The doom was tangible. Even Ava felt it.

"Sam Uley's?" April whispered, the truck coming to a stop in front of the unfamiliar home.

Arto didn't answer, just led the three to the door.

Emily Young stood in the doorway, eyes just as puffy as Arto's had been. She knelt down to meet Ava's excited embrace.

"Emmy!" The young girl squealed, nestling into her cousin's embrace. She didn't understand why Emily never came to see them anymore.

Emily sniffled as they separated, taking her hand and beginning to lead her into the house, "How about we bake something together, huh? What about cookies?" Ava nodded vigorously, and the two disappeared around a corner.

April faced her twin, an eyebrow raised as she leaned against the doorway, "Arto, what's going on? Why are we here, where are-"

"Ape," he cut her off, his lips a thin line. He cocked his head towards what appeared to be the couch. The girls followed his lead.

They sat uncomfortably, their shoulders brushing against one another as Arto paced before them. Emily and Ava sang something from the kitchen. The rain seemed to have gotten louder.

"Guys, I," Arto began, stopping in front of them, sucking his lips in and running his hands down his face. His eyes came up bleary, his jaw tensing up.

"Guys, Uncle Harry had a heart attack."

Even the rain held its breath.

April stood up.

"… What? Arto, why aren't we going to the hospital right now? We have to…" She stopped as she watched Arto shake his head, tears pooling in his eyes.

"He's not at the hospital… is he?" Her voice had fallen into a whisper. Arto shook his head as the tears escaped from his hold on them. April threw her arms around him, his large arms coming around her in turn.

Had Aria been able to see through the saltwater that poured from her eyes, she would've thought they looked like they used to.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she started hearing the yelling.

"You're not going anywhere near her right now," Arto yelled. She picked her head up from her knees, having not even realized that April and Arto were gone from the room.

"Yeah, don't you have someone a little more important to tend to?" Someone mocked.

Quil.

It was Quil who was yelling.

"You don't know _anything_." Someone growled.

Jacob.

"I _know_ that you don't deserve her."

Quil again.

She'd know their voices anywhere.

Someone growled again- she assumed it was Jacob.

"Why don't you go take care of your little _leech-lover_ ," someone new spat, "and Quil will take care of her."

It fell silent.

She could faintly hear Ava and Emily still in the kitchen.

She wiped her face, eyes crusted with salt, nose running from crying. She could only imagine how she looked. Everything hurt inside of her, the tendrils clamping shut on her throat.

Her Uncle Harry was dead.

Her Uncle Harry-

"Ari," someone breathed, her eyes coming to the doorframe.

 _Quil._

She felt the tears pool up again and her throat constrict as she leapt from the couch and closed the distance between them, his arms meeting her to lift her in the air, her arms wrapping around his neck. She felt the tears pooling against his hot skin as she pressed her face into his collarbone, one of his hands beginning to rub circles on her back as he carried her back to the couch.

He sat them down, her arms still around his neck and her body in his lap.

And she cried.

Cried for her Uncle Harry, cried for her father for losing his brother, cried for Seth and Leah losing their father, and out of pure selfishness, she cried for being back with at least one of her boys, even if it was just for that moment.


End file.
